The Jacksonville Jaguars are shaking things up on the defensive side of the ball, as they have fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and several members of his staff, the team announced Monday.
The Jags are coming off of a disappointing loss to the Tennessee Titans in the regular-season finale, in which all they needed to do was win to clinch the AFC South. Instead, Jacksonville was upset, 28-20, and eliminated from playoff contention. Derrick Henry had his best performance of the season with 153 rushing yards and one touchdown on 19 carries, while Tennessee matched its season-high with 28 points scored.
The Jaguars finished with the No. 22 defense in yards allowed per game (342.8), and No. 17 scoring defense with 21.8 points allowed per game. Jacksonville had a top 10-run defense, but struggled defending the pass, as the Jaguars finished the 2023 campaign ranked No. 26 in passing yards allowed per game (239.8).
Caldwell was in his second season as Jacksonville's defensive coordinator. Previously, he served as a linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles.
