Jaguars Make Sudden Coaching Change
The Jaguars made a sudden coaching change this week.
Fresh off an interview with head coach Doug Marrone this past Sunday, Jay Gruden is being named the team’s new offensive coordinator.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the former Washington Redskins coach will now step into the void left behind by former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.
DeFilippo survived just one year with the organization before being given the boot following a 6-10 campaign.
In four years as head coach of Jacksonville, Marrone has now cycled through three different offensive coordinators.
It began with Nathaniel Hackett, who he retained upon becoming coach, but ultimately fired in 2018. Then came DeFilippo who obviously did not last too long. And now Gruden.
The #Jaguars plan to hire former #Redskins coach Jay Gruden as their next offensive coordinator, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Deal isn’t done, but the Jaguars are close to adding a very talented OC with a great pedigree in the role.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2020
“We were trying to find someone who’s best for this staff, who’s best for what you want to run, then you’re looking for what person’s best for your players – who’s going to relate to the players, who’s going to be able to communicate with them,” Marrone said of the hire.
“At the end of the day, we just felt that Jay was the best fit for us.”
Gruden began his NFL career as an offensive assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
From there, he served as an offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals right up until he became the head coach of the Redskins.
After a promising start in D.C. where the team made the playoffs in just Gruden’s second season as a head coach, the wheels quickly fell off the car.
By the time Gruden was fired, his record has become 35-49-1.
Gruden’s first order of business in Jacksonville will be figuring out what to do at quarterback.
Veteran Nick Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract last March. Following an injury-plagued campaign, many believe he is no longer a capable starting quarterback in the league.
Gruden will be forced to decide between playing Foles and the team’s sixth round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Gardner Minshew, who led the Jaguars to a 4-5 record in Foles’ absence last year.
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Michael Kyaw, initially a PR Manager, built up a valuable network of connections in the sports world that he then utilized to become an influential sports business reporter. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, Fansided, ESPN and the Wall Street Journal.
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