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Source: Former Jaguars OC Press Taylor to join Bears as passing game coordinator
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- Source: Former Jaguars OC Press Taylor to join Bears as passing game coordinator
Former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor has found a quick landing spot, joining the Chicago Bears as the team's passing game coordinator, a source confirmed to the Times-Union Wednesday evening.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport was the first to report that Taylor would join Ben Johnson in Chicago.
Taylor is the first Jaguars assistant to accept a new gig since owner Shad Khan fired head coach Doug Pederson, replacing him with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive cooridnator Liam Coen .
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Coen has not yet filled out his coaching staff, but the team has retained special teams coordinator Heath Farwell and a search is underway for the rest of the staff. It is not yet known if Coen will retain any other Jaguars assistants.
Taylor joining Johnson's staff is interesting considering the Bears head coach interviewed virtually with the Jaguars as part of the team's first round of head coach interviews.
Press Taylor joins Bears after three seasons with Jaguars
Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor looks at the scoreboard late in Saturday's game. The Jaguars came away with a 26 to 13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the Jaguars first preseason game of the season Saturday, August 10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
Taylor, 37, was with the Jaguars for three seasons as part of the team's original coaching staff under Pederson.
Taylor re-joined Pederson in Jacksonville after spending five years with the head coach in various roles with the Philadelphia Eagles .
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In 2022, Taylor helped the team rank 10th in total offense, 14th in rushing yards per game (124.5) and 10th in passing yards per game. During the second half of the season, Taylor called the second half of games for Jacksonville, splitting the duties with Pederson. Jacksonville earned its second AFC South title, advancing to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
In 2023, Pederson expanded Taylor's role, naming him the team's permanent play-caller. Jacksonville's offense ranked 14th in points per game (22.2), eighth in passing yards per game (257.5) and 19th in rushing yards per game (96.9).
After an 8-3 start, the team finished the season 9-8, collapsing largely due to injuries, including to quarterback Trevor Lawrence .
Taylor called plays again in 2024, but the team never rebounded from the disappointing finish. Jacksonville's offense took a nosedive before Lawrence sustained a shoulder injury that forced him to miss seven games.
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The Jaguars finished 26th in points per game (18.8), 26th in rushing yards per game (101.7) and 24th in passing yards per game (204.5), limping to a 4-13 finish and ushering in change .
Now, the team will turn to Coen as the leader of the club and the new offensive play-caller.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Source: Former Jaguars OC Press Taylor joining Bears, Ben Johnson
