We can add another two names to the Jaguars’ list of head coaching candidates. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Jaguars requested interviews with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Eberflus served as a linebackers coach for almost a decade with the Browns and Cowboys, but he finally got a shot at a DC gig in 2018.
In Indy, the 51-year-old has been credited with establishing a culture built on hustle and discipline, and his defenses have mostly been up to the challenge. Eberflus’s defenses have consistently been ranked in the top-half of the NFL for their ability to stop the run, and the team has ranked top-10 in takeaways during each of his four seasons at the helm (they currently rank second in the NFL).
Hackett actually served as the Jaguars offensive coordinator between 2016-18, including a 2017 campaign where the Jaguars offense ranked toward the top of the NFL in a number of categories. The veteran coach was canned midway through the 2018 season, and he’s spent the past three years serving as Green Bay’s OC. The Packers offense had a standout season in 2020. While the team has the best record in the league, both the passing game and the running game have taken a step back in 2021.
This trio joins a growing list of candidates that already includes Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Cowboys OC Kellen Moore and DC Dan Quinn, and ex-Eagles HC Doug Pederson.
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