Jacksonville Jaguars’ Doug Pederson Puts NFL On Notice

Doug Pederson’s Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL last season.

Most people expected the Jaguars to cruise to their second straight AFC South division title, and early on, it looked like that’s what they were going to do.

Jacksonville got off to an 8-3 start, and some were even wondering if it could challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for AFC supremacy.

But then, the Jaguars went on to lose five of their last six games, much in the same way that the Philadelphia Eagles did out in the NFC.

Jacksonville went 9-8 and missed the playoffs entirely, which was a rather shocking collapse and probably would have garnered more attention had the Jags played in a larger media market.

But Pederson isn’t prepared for his team to suffer the same fate twice.

As voluntary offseason workouts opened, Pederson addressed the media and said that his club has improved in a couple of major areas heading into 2024.

“We play football. It’s a physical sport. It’s how we teach our players,” Pederson said, via John Oehser of the Jaguars’ official team website. “Maybe you can help them be more physical, just like you can help a quarterback be more accurate with his throws. It’s a matter of just doing it. No. 1, we have gotten bigger, just physically bigger, with some of the draft picks and undrafted guys, and even some of our players coming back. We have gotten bigger there. I think we got a tick faster. Then when we put the pads on in July and August we’ll see where we are physically.”

Jacksonville has certainly made some moves this offseason, signing veteran free agents like wide receiver Gabe Davis, defensive lineman Arik Armstead and safety Darnell Savage.

However, the Jags also suffered a major loss, as top wide out Calvin Ridley departed for the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars selected LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the NFL Draft to help mitigate the damage, and alongside of Davis and Christian Kirk, Thomas should help comprise a solid receiving corps. Plus, Jacksonville has a very good tight end in Evan Engram.

Of course, the Jags’ success may ultimately rest on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who had a very disappointing 2023 campaign after a breakout sophomore season the year prior.

If Lawrence can rediscover his 2022 form and potentially improve upon it, Doug Pederson’s Jaguars should once again be a dangerous group next season.