Mike Caldwell, the defensive coordinator, and other members of his staff were fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars one day after their team’s elimination from the playoffs due to a loss to Tennessee.
On Monday night, the Jaguars confirmed a report by Fox Sports’ Greg Auman that Caldwell and “several members of his defensive staff” had been fired. The group did not say other employees were let go in addition to Caldwell. Prior to the 2022 campaign, Caldwell and head coach Doug Pederson joined the Jaguars.
After the Jaguars dropped five of their last six games to exit the postseason race, Pederson made the move as part of a defensive makeover. Jacksonville might have secured the AFC South with a victory over the Titans on Sunday, even with their late-season collapse. However, they lost 28-20 to the division’s bottom club, dropping them to 9-8 and out of the postseason.
After Jacksonville enjoyed an 8-3 start and was in the running for the top spot in the AFC playoffs, there occurred a startling collapse. However, before Sunday’s loss to the Titans, they had dropped four straight games against the Bengals, Browns, Ravens, and Buccaneers, jeopardizing their postseason prospects.
In the five losses, Jacksonville gave up an average of 29.2 points per game to opponents. The Jaguars allowed 21.8 points per game and finished the season ranked 17th in scoring defense and 22nd in total defense.
There was more to Jacksonville’s late-season problems than just their defense. Jacksonville’s offense sputtered as quarterback Trevor Lawrence battled shoulder and ankle problems throughout the playoff drive. After Lawrence hurt his shoulder in a defeat to the Bucs a week later, the Jaguars managed only 12 points in a Week 15 loss to the Ravens. Against the Titans on Sunday, Lawrence threw two costly interceptions.
Caldwell began his coaching career in 2008 as a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles after serving as a linebacker for 11 seasons in the NFL. He has also held positions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets. When the Bucs won the Super Bowl following the 2021 season, he was the inside linebackers coach under then-defensive coordinator and current head coach Todd Bowles.
