Jaguars hire new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden

As of today, the Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Jay Gruden as their offensive coordinator.

In October, Gruden was fired by the Redskins. But he wasn’t out of a job for long.

The Jaguars are hiring the ex-coach after a curtailed 0-5 season and nearly five and a half seasons with the Redskins.

Jaguars looking for help on offense

The Jaguars finished 2019 at 6-10, an underwhelming season for them considering they locked up quarterback Nick Foles for four years and $88 million before the season began.

The Jags were hoping that Foles would be able to lead them somewhere, but a Week One collar bone injury dashed those hopes early.

The Jaguars’ offense, in particular, was an issue that persisted for most of the season. They will try to solve this issue with Gruden, who, over his five seasons and five games with the Redskins, led them to a 35-49-1 record.

While the Jaguars’ defense was a more glaring concern than their offense last season, their offensive numbers were troubling. They finished the season with a league-worst three rushing touchdowns and were 17th ranked in rushing yardage.

Their passing game was slightly better, though they were ranked just 16th in passing touchdowns and 17th in passing yardage.

With one of the league’s most middling offenses, the Jaguars are hoping that Jay Gruden can help turn things around next season.

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone believes that Gruden is the best fit for them.

Doug Marrone shares the hiring process and why Jay Gruden was the right fit to be our offensive coordinator. pic.twitter.com/AO15BEQO4w

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 22, 2020

Offensive coordinator familiar territory for Gruden

Before he was the head coach of the Redskins, Gruden was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.

He spent three years as the OC for the Bengals, with 2013 being their best season.

Gruden helped lead the Bengals to an 11-5 season with head coach Marvin Lewis at the helm. The Bengals won their division in 2013 thanks partially to Gruden’s efforts as OC, and the 2020 Jaguars would like to channel some of that 2013 Bengals energy.

2013 was the Bengals’ peak, and Gruden rode that high to the Redskins head coach job.

Now, he’s back where he started as an offensive coordinator, and he’s looking to make a big impact on the 2020 Jaguars.

Eyes on the 2020 opener

With Gruden hired and Nick Foles hopefully healthy for all of 2020, the Jaguars have high hopes for 2020.

Even with Foles healthy, there could be a battle for the starting job between him and young quarterback Gardner Minshew, who was granted the starting job during Week 13 last year.

Who starts at quarterback for the Jaguars next year remains to be seen, but the Jaguars have their offensive coordinator locked in.