Hours before their 2023 season began on Sept. 10, reports surfaced that Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson had awarded the Jaguars’ offensive play-calling duties to coordinator Press Taylor, a surprise given Pederson’s success in charge of the unit during his first season with the team.
In an effort to not be caught off guard again, paired with Jacksonville’s step back offensively under Taylor’s tutelage, the question of whether or not Pederson would re-assume the task has persisted from fans and media alike throughout this offseason.
Pederson didn’t exactly shut such inquiries down when they were pitched by reporters at the NFL Combine, instead suggesting the need to review his and Taylor’s responsibilities in the offense moving forward.
“It’s something that’s part of the evaluation process,” Pederson said on Feb. 27. “I have to evaluate myself and Press as decision-makers and play-callers and see what’s best for our team.”
Adding that he had not yet decided who would occupy the role in 2024, Pederson said that further conversations would be had with Taylor to determine an ideal path forward for Jacksonville’s offense.
If quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s outlook offers any indication, it would appear no changes are imminent and that Pederson and Taylor’s discussions have occurred behind closed doors, if at all.
“I haven’t had any conversations about anything necessarily changing or staying the same,” Lawrence said on Tuesday, before noting that he anticipates Taylor holding onto the job.
“I’m excited and I’m expecting it to be Press at this point because that’s kind of the direction we’ve been heading and what I expect, I’m not hearing anything. That’s where we’re going and I’m excited for it.”
Should Lawrence’s read on the situation prove correct, Taylor will be tasked with getting the offense back to the form it showcased under Pederson, if not better. The Jaguars declined in nearly every major statistical category offensively in 2023 compared to 2022.
While the unit generally ranked around league average under Taylor, finishing No. 13 in the NFL in yards (339.5) and points (22.2) per game compared to No. 10 in those categories (357.4 and 23.8) under Pederson, its rushing game production dropped by 27.7 yards per game (falling to No. 24 from No. 14), its yards per play reduced by half a yard (down to No. 15 from No. 8), and its turnover count increased by eight (jumping to No. 5-most from No. 19).
Granted, its signal-caller, Lawrence, was hampered by multiple injuries (knee, ankle, concussion and shoulder) from Week 6 on, after the Jaguars began the campaign averaging 23.7 points per matchup over their first six.
Following his stated March return to full health, Lawrence suggested that the Jaguars’ offense would benefit from the continuity of the system and Taylor’s approach to play-calling as it aims to develop more consistency in 2024.
Should Taylor remain in the position, he would be the first play-calling offensive coordinator to oversee Lawrence in back-to-back years in the passer’s pro career, entering his fourth NFL season.
“I think we’ve had success with both guys calling plays in the past, even last year, we could’ve been better offensively, but we did have some success. I do like the continuity, the consistency that I have with Press, I know him really well. I think that’s a good thing, that we’re keeping that intact. It’s hard as a quarterback to change around and change systems, change play-callers all of the time. That can be difficult.
“So, I like where we’re at, I think that we’ve made some really necessary changes this offseason already, now we’ve just got to implement them and get great at it. I think it’s about creating an identity and being really good at what we do. I think we have a clear vision and picture of what that is.”
