New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, who has a background in coaching offenses and the quarterback position, wasted no time hiring the architect of his defense.
The team brought in Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell to take over the role. Pederson and Caldwell have quite a bit of familiarity, as the two worked on Andy Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles staff. Since then, Caldwell has acted as a protege of sorts for Todd Bowles, the former Jets head coach and current Bucs defensive coordinator.
Pederson discussed what Caldwell brings to the table and his vision for the defense.
“You know, Mike and I, we go way back too,” Pederson said. “We were former players together in this league. We kind of cut our teeth together on the Eagles staff, him working under Jim Johnson, playing for Jim Johnson and then of course Coach Reid, and then our paths kind of separated.
“He’s kind of been with Todd Bowles, and we know Todd was a head coach, tremendous coordinator in this league, the things that Mike has always kind of been in the linebacker room, and the structure of defense that we play and the majority of the guys in the NFL play, it fits what we do.”
Pederson elaborated on the philosophy that Caldwell and Bowles shared in Tampa.
“It’s an aggressive mindset, and those are the conversations that Mike and I have had is we want to maintain the aggressiveness, we want to be able to put our players in position to make plays,” he said. “Moving a Josh Allen around, moving a Chaisson, moving these guys around, moving safeties around, other backers. Really presenting a picture to the offense where maybe you don’t know where the blitz is coming from. You kind of watch what Tampa Bay did this year and the success they had on defense.
“But again, it takes players, too, and we understand that. But I’m excited, again, for him to really come in here and having Bob Sutton there to really, I think, even to help Mike, I think that’s a big step for him to use.”
The defense was a bit of a pleasant surprise in 2021. Though it was far from elite, it improved throughout the season under previous coordinator Joe Cullen.
Caldwell will hope to maintain that success through the staff turnover, though several holes on that side of the ball that need to be plugged still remain.
