Mike Caldwell, the defensive coordinator, and the coaching staff leave the Jaguars.
On Monday, head coach Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars announced the firing of defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and several other defensive assistants, resulting in a major change in the team’s coaching staff. Even though Pederson had previously stated that he needed more time to consider the disappointing season’s conclusion before making any personnel decisions, he made changes quickly.
Pederson acknowledged the team’s subpar performance when he made the official announcement of the coaching dismissals on Monday night, saying, “It’s not where we want to be, and I’ve got to take all of this into consideration.
Deshea Townsend, the defensive coordinator and the coach of the cornerbacks, was among the dead. Coach of the inside linebackers is Tony Gilbert. Coach of safeties, Cody Grimm. The senior defensive assistant is Bob Sutton. Brentson Buckner is the defensive line coach, and defensive quality control coaches Tee Mitchell and Sean Cullina work with the team.
However, a few coaches, including outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey, defensive quality control coach Patrick Reilly, and assistant defensive line coach Rory Segrest, were able to keep their positions.
Mike Caldwell, the inside linebackers coach for Todd Bowles in Tampa for three seasons, took a leave of absence in 2022. He was later named defensive coordinator by Pederson. Even though the team started the 2023 season with an 8-3 record, they saw a decline and defensive difficulties.
The Jaguars finished the season with a record of 5–6 after allowing an average of 146.8 yards and 29.2 points per game to opponents. Interestingly, during this run of play, the only victory came from a decisive 26-0 shutout of Carolina, the NFL’s bottom-seeded team.
The 2023 defense struggled in a number of areas, ranking nineteenth in terms of rushing defense (103.1 yards per game), twenty-sixth in terms of passing defense (239.8 yards per game), seventeenth in terms of scoring (21.8 points per game), and twenty-second in terms of total defense (342.8 yards per game). The defense was not without its issues, despite forcing 27 turnovers, particularly in a crucial game against Tennessee when the Titans gained 175 yards and ran for two touchdowns. This was made possible by Derrick Henry’s outstanding performance, which included 153 yards and a touchdown run—the second-highest total of running yards the Jaguars have given up this season.
