Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson’s name has come up for all the wrong reasons as the NFL’s annual coaching carousel approaches.
However, some Jacksonville staffers have entered the conversation as potential candidates for a promotion.
NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero on Tuesday identified assistant coaches under 45 years old who could be worth monitoring for the 2025 hiring cycle and in the future.
Among the potential candidates for this offseason’s wave was Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
Jaguars OC Press Taylor, 36
A two-time national [junior college] champion as a QB and the brother of Bengals coach Zac Taylor, Press broke into the NFL as a quality control coach in Philadelphia in 2013 and made a notable contribution to the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win: Doug Pederson credited Taylor with the idea for the “Philly Special.”
Reunited in 2022 with Pederson in Jacksonville, Taylor built the offense and quietly called plays in the second halves of games as the Jaguars made a surprise playoff run. Evan Engram, Christian Kirk and Zay Jones have all enjoyed career years playing in Jacksonville’s offense. This has been an ugly season for the Jags, who are 2-9 — including a league-high six one-score losses — and are now playing without injured quarterback Trevor Lawrence. But Taylor remains a young assistant worth watching.
Taylor’s Jaguars offense has struggled this season, ranking No. 23 in the NFL in points per game (18.9) and No. 28 in yards per game (290.8) through 11 weeks, falling from No. 14 in points (22.2) and No. 13 in yards (339.5) per game in 2023.
Pelissero also named Jacksonville special teams coordinator Heath Farwell, wide receivers coach Chad Hall and assistant cornerbacks coach Cory Robinson as potential head coaching candidates for future cycles.
Farwell spent 10 seasons in the NFL, holding down roles as a core special teamer as a reserve linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. He served as an assistant special teams coach for the Seahawks and Carolina Panthers before coordinating those units for the Buffalo Bills (2019-21) and Jaguars (2022-present).
Hall has overseen Jacksonville’s wide receivers the last two seasons after beginning his coaching career with Buffalo, as an offensive assistant from 2017-18 before his promotion to wide receivers coach in 2019. He played wide receiver for the Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs between 2010-13.
Robinson joined Jacksonville’s coaching staff this offseason in an assistant role, tasked with instructing the Jaguars’ cornerbacks. He has coached professionally and collegiately since 2015, including stints with the Tennessee Volunteers, New Orleans Saints and Maryland Terrapins.