Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone seems to have barely kept his job in 2019, which means he will be one of the league’s most notable hot-seat candidates in 2020. NFL.com’s Gil Brandt definitely would agree with those sentiments as he recently outlined how the coaches with the most questionable job security could keep their jobs.
For Marrone, Brandt felt like the three keys would be Gardner Minshew II taking another step, the defense re-establishing its dominance (especially in the trenches), and making the London game an advantage.
All three keys pointed out by Brandt are pretty valid. I agree that Marrone is going to need Minshew to reach another level, and Jay Gruden is certainly qualified to do that, however, they have to fix things around him. Adding a No. 1 tight end, some help on the offensive line, and another threat at receiver will be important this offseason, and if they are addressed, Minshew has a shot.
However, one mistake that I believe Marrone has already made was retaining Todd Wash. Wash has lacked the ability to adapt as a coordinator and it’s hard to see much changing on his end. Simply put, without the amount of blue-chip talent he had in 2017, Wash is going to lack consistency as coordinators seemingly have figured him out.
As for the London effect, I agree, the Jags must make it an advantage. It would especially help if they were two divisional games, as the Jags would catch their opponents on an unusual schedule for the week.
Ultimately, we’ll have to see how Marrone fares in 2020 but seven wins or less should be unacceptable. Then again, a seven-win season in which the Jags look competitive may be just enough in the eyes of a patient owner like Shad Khan.