Tag: Mike Caldwell

Christian Wilkins makes strong first impression at Raiders OTA’s

Christian Wilkins makes strong first impression at Raiders OTA’s

The Raiders are wrapping up their Organized Training Activities (OTA’s) this week. And thus ends the first phase of their offseason training as a team. Who stood out the most? Well, just ask quarterback Gardner Minshew.

“I’d say Christian Wilkins,” said Minshew. “That dude is running so fast every single play. Wherever the ball is, don’t look, like, you’ll see him soon. It’s really impressive being around a guy that’s nonstop working the way he does.”

While Wilkins is an interior defensive lineman, he is gaining notice from other position coaches such as linebackers coach Mike Caldwell.

“He had a play the other day where he might need to be in my room,” said Caldwell. “He’s so athletic and he plays with so much passion he’s like a linebacker in so many ways. He’s active and has a great motor . . .We’re just excited to have him here.”

Wilkins’s motor fits in on this team with guys like Maxx Crosby who is known for his relentless play style, both in games and on the practice field. But it isn’t just Wilkins’s play style and work ethic, it’s his personality that is quickly making him a favorite among his teammates.

“He’s definitely a character,” said DE Malcolm Koonce. “He definitely brings another personality to the room and stuff like that. He’s enjoyable to be around. He’s a great guy.”

The former first round pick came over from the Dolphins this offseason as arguably the top free agent signing by any team.

Coming off a career year as a pass rushing interior lineman with nine sacks and 23 QB hits, he was a huge get for the Raiders at a major need position. And thus far he is looking like he is worth every bit of the four-year, $110 million deal he signed.

Raiders hire former Jaguars DC Mike Caldwell as linebackers coach

Mike Caldwell didn’t take long to find another coaching job after getting fired as Jaguars defensive coordinator.

The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell as linebackers coach and run game coordinator, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday night.

Caldwell spent two seasons with the Jaguars, joining Doug Pederson’s staff shortly after the latter was hired as head coach in 2022.

The Jaguars finished 24th in yards allowed and 12th in points allowed in Caldwell’s first season. But with all 11 starters back in 2023, the unit didn’t take a step forward and finished 22nd in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed.

Takeaways were heavily emphasized by Caldwell and his staff, and the Jaguars finished top eight in the statistic in each of his two seasons.

Still, Caldwell and most of the Jaguars’ defensive coaching staff were fired after the team lost five of its last six games and missed the postseason.

Prior to his time in Jacksonville, Caldwell was an inside linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals. He also served as linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles early in his coaching career.

Caldwell will join Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, who played linebacker in the NFL and was linebackers coach for Las Vegas before being elevated to head coach.

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7 realistic DC candidates options for Ravens after Mike Macdonald lands Seahawks HC job

We’re looking at seven defensive coordinator candidates the Baltimore Ravens could target after Mike Macdonald accepted the Seahawks job

The Ravens are one of the gold-standard organizations in the NFL, and every few years, teams from around the NFL poach personnel from Eric DeCosta’s front office and John Harbaugh’s coaching staff.

Another coaching cycle has seen two front office personnel exit, along with defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

After landing Joe Hortiz (Player Personnel Director), the Chargers hired Baltimore’s player evaluation and analytics manager, Corey Krawiec, for a position.

On Wednesday, the Titans hired Dennard Wilson as their defensive coordinator hours after Macdonald arrived in Seattle to be officially introduced as the new head coach.

The Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lead the league in points allowed (16.5 per game), sacks (60) and turnovers (31).

In his second year calling Baltimore’s defense, he led them to the AFC title game before a shocking 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday;

Macdonald’s defense allowed two early touchdown drives but only a field goal over the final 40-plus minutes of the game.

With Baltimore needing to regroup again, we’re looking at seven realistic options to replace Macdonald.

Eagles to interview former Jaguars DC Mike Caldwell for LB coach position

The Philadelphia Eagles are interviewing former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Caldwell for their vacant defensive coordinator job

The Eagles are set to meet with a familiar name, as former Jaguars assistant coach Mike Caldwell will interview for the vacant linebackers coach job in Philadelphia.

Caldwell was relieved of his duties by Doug Pederson following the late-season collapse in Jacksonville, and interveiwed for the defensive coordinator job before reportedly hiring Vic Fangio to the job.

The Jaguars lost five of their last six, going from 8-3 to finishing their season at 9-8 a year after winning the AFC South title.

Caldwell’s dismissal comes after the defense allowed 28 or more points in four of those five defeats, including the season-ending 28-20 loss to the last-place Tennessee Titans.

Jacksonville’s defense finished 17th overall in points allowed, 22nd in total defense, 26th in yards allowed and 25th in scoring.

Caldwell, 52, was the defensive coordinator for two years under Doug Pederson Caldwell, following stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Eagles.

Caldwell was drafted by Bill Belichick and Nick Saban with the Browns, spending three years with the Browns before joining the Ravens. From 1998 to 2001, he played with the Philadelphia Eagles, accumulating 221 tackles with 5 Sacks and 3 INTs.

Report: Eagles, Raiders to interview ex-Jaguars DC Mike Caldwell

Former Jaguars DC Mike Caldwell is getting interest for the same role elsewhere.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, who was fired by the team earlier this month, is already receiving interest for the same position elsewhere.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Caldwell is set to interview with the Philadelphia Eagles for their vacant coordinator position after the Eagles fired Sean Desai from the position Sunday. Fowler also said Caldwell will speak with the Las Vegas Raiders about a senior defensive staff position.

Caldwell, 52, spent two seasons with the Jaguars, first joining the team a couple weeks after Doug Pederson was hired as head coach. Prior to that, he was a linebackers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles.

In Caldwell’s first season with the Jaguars, the team finished 12th in the NFL in points allowed, a massive improvement from its 28th place finish in 2021. However, the Jacksonville defense regressed in 2023, despite returning all 11 starters from the season prior. The Jaguars finished 17th in points allowed and especially struggled in the last six weeks of the season.

The list of other candidates for the Eagles reportedly includes Ron Rivera and Wink Martindale. Philadelphia also reached out to Ryan Nielsen about the position, but he is now set to take over for Caldwell in Jacksonville.

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Eagles to interview former Jaguars DC Mike Caldwell for vacant coordinator job

The Philadelphia Eagles are interviewing former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Caldwell for their vacant defensive coordinator job

The Eagles are set to meet with a familiar name, as former Jaguars assistant coach Mike Caldwell will interview for the vacant defensive coordinator job in Philadelphia.

Caldwell was relieved of his duties by Doug Pederson following the late-season collapse in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars lost five of their last six, going from 8-3 to finishing their season at 9-8 a year after winning the AFC South title.

Caldwell’s dismissal comes after the defense allowed 28 or more points in four of those five defeats, including the season-ending 28-20 loss to the last-place Tennessee Titans.

Jacksonville’s defense finished 17th overall in points allowed, 22nd in total defense, 26th in yards allowed and 25th in scoring.

Caldwell, 52, was the defensive coordinator for two years under Doug Pederson Caldwell, following stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Eagles.

Caldwell was drafted by Bill Belichick and Nick Saban with the Browns, spending three years with the Browns before joining the Ravens. From 1998 to 2001, he played with the Philadelphia Eagles, accumulating 221 tackles with 5 Sacks and 3 INTs.

5 toughest decisions for the Jaguars to make in the 2024 offseason

The Jaguars can’t sit on their hands like they did last offseason. This year, they have a handful of tough choices to make.

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t do a whole lot during the 2023 offseason. All but one of the team’s 22 starters from the season prior returned, as did almost all of Doug Pederson’s coaching staff.

After a disappointing season that saw the team fail to reach the playoffs, things have to be different in 2024. The Jaguars already got started by firing defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, but there’s plenty more changes to make if the team hopes to get back to the postseason next year and get the franchise’s trajectory back on track.

With the offseason just getting started for the Jaguars, here are five big decisions they’ll have to make before the 2024 season gets started about eight months from now:

6 candidates to be the Jaguars’ next defensive coordinator

There are a few intriguing names who could get a call about the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator vacancy.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are starting over on defense. On Monday, the team fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and just about every other defensive coach on the team’s staff.

As the team begins its hunt for a new face to lead the way, there’s plenty of reason to believe it’ll be a relatively attractive opening for coaching candidates.

For one, no pass rushing tandem finished with more sacks than the 27.5 that Josh Allen and Travon Walker combined for in 2023. While Allen, who led the way with 17.5 sacks, is scheduled to became a free agent, it’d be a surprise if the Jaguars didn’t use the franchise tag, at the very least, to keep him on the roster.

After that, it largely depends on what you think of young players like cornerback Tyson Campbell, safety Andre Cisco, and linebacker Devin Lloyd who have all shown great things at times, but have struggled with consistency early in their careers.

Here are six coaches who could draw the Jaguars’ eye as they try to fill their defensive coordinator void and turn their young defense into one of the NFL’s best units:

Jaguars fire defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell

Mike Caldwell is out as defensive coordinator after two seasons with the Jaguars.

The Jacksonville Jaguars fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, the team announced Monday night.

Defensive line coach Brentson Buckner, defensive quality control coach Sean Cullina, inside linebackers coach Tony Gilbert, safeties coach Cody Grimm, defensive quality control coach Tee Mitchell, senior defensive assistant Bob Sutton, and passing game coordinator/cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend were also fired.

Caldwell, 52, was hired by the Jaguars in 2022 when Doug Pederson put together his first staff with the team. Prior to that, Caldwell spent three seasons as the inside linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had stints as an assistant with the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2023, the Jaguars finished 22nd in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed. While the team was eighth in the NFL in takeaways with 27, two-thirds of those forced turnovers came in the first eight games of the year. In the latter half of the season, the takeaways dried up and the Jacksonville defense failed to keep the team in games as it had in September and October.

The Jaguars defense was led by the pass rushing duo of Josh Allen and Travon Walker, who combined for 27.5 sacks in 2023. The rest of the team combined for 12.5 sacks, though, and the Jaguars finished 25th in total sacks.

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Josh Allen: Run defense is priority 1, 2, and 3 vs. Titans

The Jaguars are focused on not allowing Derrick Henry to run wild Sunday.

Derrick Henry has been a Jacksonville Jaguars killer for much of his career.

The Tennessee Titans’ eighth-year running back has finished five games against the Jaguars with at least 120 rushing yards and two times he eclipsed 200 rushing yards. His 16 career touchdowns against Jacksonville are four more than any other NFL team.

So keeping Henry in check Sunday is a must for the Jaguars.

“We have to neutralize, or limit as much as we can, going against him,” Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen said Thursday, via 1010XL. “Stopping the run is priority number one. The next priority is stopping the run. Third priority: stopping the run. If we’re able to do that and really have focus, be gap sound, we’ll be good to go.”

The Jaguars accomplished that goal when they hosted the Titans at EverBank Stadium in Week 11. Henry finished with 38 yards on 10 carries in Jacksonville’s 34-14 win. It was just the third time Henry finished with less than 50 rushing yards in a game against the Jaguars, who won all three.

“Knowing Tennessee, they’re going to be running the ball, they’re going to be making the game physical, and we understand that,” Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said. “We know it’s a big challenge for us. He’s a guy that has done it for a long time in this league and he’s done it at a high level. He continues to do it at a high level.”

There’s a chance it’ll be the last time the Jaguars face Henry in a Titans uniform. The last two seasons on the 30-year-old running back’s contract are set to automatically void, making Henry a free agent this spring.

Jacksonville can’t afford to let him go out with a bang.

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