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Jaguars fire DC Mike Caldwell, seven defensive staffers after late-season slide
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- Jaguars fire DC Mike Caldwell, seven defensive staffers after late-season slide
Major changes will occur on one side of the field for the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell after two seasons, the team announced Monday.
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The team also confirmed that several defensive coaches have been let go in addition to Caldwell.
Outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey, defensive quality control coach Patrick Reilly and assistant defensive line coach Rory Segrest are the only defensive coaches remaining on the staff.
"Since our season's end, I have made the difficult decision to relieve several members of the coaching staff – on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball -- of their duties I want to thank each of these coaches for their tireless efforts these last two seasons," Pederson said in a statement released by the team Tuesday.
"Ultimately, I felt change was necessary to allow our football team to reach the goals for which we are capable."
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In conjunction with the released statement, the Jaguars relieved running backs coach Bernie Parmalee of his duties and the contract for assistant OL coach Todd Washington expired and he will not return.
The news comes after Pederson indicated during his end-of-season press conference Monday that he was still processing everything and that he needed to consider more when he was asked if there would be any staff changes on the horizon.
"It's not where we want to be and I got to take all of this into consideration," said Pederson.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell is interviewed by media Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 at Miller Electric Center at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Today marked the first padded practice.
Caldwell's staff, including senior defensive assistant Bob Sutton, defensive line coach Brentson Buckner, inside linebackers coach Tony Gilbert, safeties coach Cody Grimm, passing game coordinator/cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend, defensive quality control coach Sean Cullina and defensive quality control coach Tee Mitchell, were all let go Monday evening.
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Under Caldwell's guidance, Jacksonville's defense ranked 22nd in yards per game allowed this year with 342.8, they allowed 21.8 points per game, ranking 17th, but were eighth in the league in opponent third down conversions, allowing just 36.52 percent.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) spins from Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (23) and linebacker Devin Lloyd (33) during the fourth quarter of a regular season NFL football matchup Monday, Dec. 4, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 in overtime. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Jacksonville ranked fifth in takeaways this year with 27. They posted only three turnovers over the last four weeks of the season.
During the team's four-game losing streak in December, Jacksonville averaged 13 missed tackles a game. Entering the final two weeks of the season, Jacksonville was 6-1 when missing fewer than 10 tackles and 2-6 when missing 10 or more tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
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In the team's season-ending loss to the Tennessee Titans , Jacksonville's defense surrendered 327 yards, including 175 rushing yards.
Titans RB Derrick Henry accounted for 19 rushes for 153 yards and one touchdown. Henry's 153 rushing yards were the most the 30-year-old running back rushed for in any game this season. His next-highest total came against the Cincinnati Bengals , rushing for 122 yards on 22 carries.
Jacksonville finished the season with a 9-8 record after beginning the year 8-3, ultimately missing the playoffs. Jacksonville would have made the postseason as AFC South champions had they defeated the Titans in Week 18.
When asked which of the team's struggling units, offense or defense, was most surprising this year, Pederson said both were surprising and expounded on the defensive struggles.
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"If we communicate better and we execute better, if we're disciplined in the gaps and schemes, the run integrity, we're better on the defensive side. Missed tackles, tackle better and we're a better team," said Pederson.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars DC Mike Caldwell, 7 defensive staff members fired
