Tag: Keenan McCardell

Is Chad Johnson looking to join the Jaguars’ staff?

Chad Johnson says he was going to pay Doug Marrone a visit this week, but what for?

It’s never uncommon to see a player try his hand in coaching after stepping away from football and that seems to be what Chad Ochocinco wants to do with his future. He expressed his interest in joining the Washington Redskins’ staff under Ron Rivera a week ago, however, nothing came into fruition for the former All-Pro and Pro Bowler, so it appears he’s still a free agent.

However, one coach who he has visited this week is Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone, who coincidentally will be doing some staff evaluations next week.

Of course, it’s not for certain that Johnson’s meeting with Marrone was for a job on his staff but things would certainly get a little more interesting with him on the staff. Receivers coach Keenan McCardell is likely one of the safest coaches on the staff in terms of job security when considering the job he’s done with DJ Chark Jr., Dede Westbrook, Keenan Cole, and Chris Conley. However, the team could add another assistant to join McCardell or help out on offense if they wanted.

As most fans who follow him on Twitter are aware, Johnson is one of the more active former players from the league on social media and is always interacting with other players whether it’s to challenge them competitively or simply interact. He’s interacted with a few Jags players in the past, too, including former cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who he paid a visit to during the Jags’ preseason game against the Miami Dolphins last year.

Johnson’s last stint in the NFL was during the 2012 preseason with the Miami Dolphins. He finished his career with 766 catches for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns.

Are there any Jags assistants who should survive a coaching change?

There are two coaches who may stand a chance to survive a coaching change for the Jags in our books. One of them is Joe DeCamillis.

With a 4-9 record currently and five straight losses by at least 17 points, the Jacksonville Jaguars are unquestionably going to have a coaching change at the end of the year. Of course, the reason for their record and pending changes is somewhat due to the Jags’ current staff being out-coached at times and fans have been very vocal about getting Doug Marrone and his staff out of the facility.

That said, our question of the day is whether or you all at home feel there is a member of the current staff who should survive what will likely be a coaching staff change in a few weeks? Here are two candidates who we feel at least deserve another year:

Special teams coach – Joe DeCamillis

Joe DeCamillis is one of the league’s most respected special teams coaches and it’s easy to see why when looking at his body of work before joining the Jags and after. Prior to coming to Jacksonville, he was so highly regarded at his last stop that he served as the interim head coach for the Denver Broncos Week 6 of the 2016 season with Gary Kubiak dealing with and illness.

First and foremost, he deserves praise for what he’s gotten out of Josh Lambo, who is kicking at a Pro Bowl level this season. The veteran, who the Jags signed off the free-agent market during the 2017 regular season, has converted 96.3% of his field-goal attempts (26-of-27), good for the best in the league.

DeCamillis has also turned Logan Cooke into a stud punter. With the offense not offering much production, Cooke has been a weapon for the Jags averaging just under 44 yards per punt and constantly pinning the opposition behind the 20-yard line. The crazy part about it is that he’s only 24 and keeping DeCamillis by his side could make him an All-Pro down the road.

Receivers coach – Keenan McCardell

The other assistant who comes to mind when discussing the staff’s ability to teach is receivers coach and Jags great Keenan McCardell, who pretty much has done a well as you can with the young receivers he’s inherited.

During his first season on the Jags’ coaching staff, McCardell immediately showed his skills as a communicator. One series into the regular season, he lost his top receiver, Allen Robinson, for the year with an ACL tear but it didn’t stop him from getting the best out of what was left for Blake Bortles to utilize. He got some quality moments and play out of undrafted rookie Keelan Cole that season, who totaled a career-high in statistics with 42 catches, 748 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

McCardell’s other noteworthy achievement was coaching up second-year receiver DJ Chark Jr., who struggled mightily in 2018 but looks like one of the league’s most improved players now. Chark is currently just 44 yards shy of the 1000-yard mark this season and has impressed on all levels of the field despite the frequent changes at quarterback.

If there is a new staff, they almost certainly will recognize the coaching Chark and the other receivers have responded to and possibly consider keeping McCardell. It also may help his case that he was formerly a receiver in the league who was largely successful.

That said, we’d like to know if you all at home believe McCardell and DeCamillis deserve to remain assistants past 2019. Is there someone we missed on the staff that deserves to stay? Let us know in our Jags Wire forum.