Jaguars add Mike Caldwell to new staff

The Jaguars have now made their coaching staff official. Notably, Jacksonville has announced Mike Caldwell will be defensive coordinator. Caldwell spoke with the media on Friday to discuss his scheme.

Caldwell’s Resume

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The hiring of Caldwell means he will reunite with Doug Pederson after playing together in Philadelphia during the 1999 season.

Significantly, he said his former teammate’s extensive knowledge as a player helps his coaching.

Pederson’s additions also means each side of the ball will have a Super Bowl winning coach. Indeed, Caldwell won the Lombardi in 2021 as inside linebackers coach for Tampa Bay.

Moreover, his experience at inside linebacker dates back to his 11-year NFL career . After being drafted by Cleveland in 1993, he went on to play 159 games in the league with 521 tackles. He ended his playing career in Carolina in 2003.

Furthermore, his coaching career began in 2008 as the Eagles’ defensive quality control coach under Andy Reid. From there, he was promoted as the linebackers coach in 2011 but fired once Reid’s regime ended.

His next two seasons were spent in Arizona with the same title. Then, he worked as the New York Jets’ assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach from 2015-2018. After following Todd Bowles to Tampa Bay, he served from 2019-2021 as the inside linebackers coach.

Caldwell will now be a first time coordinator in Jacksonville. Overall,  he is excited to take the new position and the opportunity to put the stamp on his ideas.

Caldwell’s Defense

Caldwell spoke on what his intentions for the Jaguars’ defensive scheme will be. He said that his defense will focus on what his players can do well.

Looking back at last season, Jacksonville struggled immensely with creating turnovers. The team finished the 2021-2022 season with only nine turnovers. Seven of those turnovers came as interceptions.

Caldwell said that for Jacksonville to overcome their dearth of turnovers last season, they will place emphasis on attacking the quarterback.

Remaining defensive staff

The remainder of the Jaguars’ defensive staff consists of personnel brought in by Caldwell as well as Pederson.

The remaining staff includes:

• Bob Sutton, senior defensive assistant
• Brentson Buckner, defensive line
• Bill Shuey, outside linebackers
• Tony Gilbert, inside linebackers
• Cody Grimm, safeties
• Deshea Townsend, passing game-coordinator/cornerbacks
• Rory Segrest, assistant defensive line
• Patrick Reilly, defensive quality control