Doug Pederson: ‘I need to consider’ taking back play-calling duties

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has steadfastly defended Press Taylor at every turn, despite many fans and analysts believing the team’s 36-year-old offensive coordinator is a big reason for the team’s miscues in 2023. In a January press conference, Pederson even went so far as to say that Taylor “did a nice job” in his first season as the team’s full-time play caller.

But Pederson may be ready to take play-calling duties away from Taylor anyway.

Still, Pederson isn’t ready to say whether or not he will for sure:

“I haven’t decided. Those are all ongoing conversations that Press and I will have and we’ll go from there.”

— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) February 27, 2024

Early in the 2023 season, Pederson clarified that he didn’t exactly hand the reins over to Taylor out of the blue. During the 2022 season, Pederson and Taylor split the responsibilities, with the latter calling plays for the Jaguars offense after halftime.

Was Taylor an actual issue for the Jaguars in 2023?

Jacksonville certainly took a step back in almost every way on offense last season, but injuries played a massive role, as did the team’s struggles along the offensive line. No team was stuffed on runs more often than the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence was sacked 35 times despite being the least blitzer passer in the NFL.

Taylor often had little to work with during his first year as the play-caller. Still, it’s not too surprising that Pederson wants his hands back on the wheel after watching his 2023 season go down the drain.