Urban Meyer’s disastrous tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars looked bad enough after he was fired following a disastrous 2-11 start to the 2021 season. It only looked worse when his successor, Doug Pederson, came in and got the Jaguars to the playoffs one year later.
Meyer, however, does not seem sure that it was better coaching that got the most out of the Jaguars in 2022. In an appearance on the “All Things Covered” podcast (roughly 19:10 in), Meyer suggested that major roster overhaul was the primary reason for the turnaround.
“They have a lot of different players from when I was there,” Meyer said. “They did a really good job in free agency this year.”
On one hand, the Jaguars did add key players during the offseason, including a couple of offensive line upgrades to go along with wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun proved a defensive anchor as well. Still, the core of the team remained the same, and Pederson simply got more out of it than Meyer did. After all, it’s worth remembering what one Jaguars veteran had to say about Meyer not long ago.
Obviously, Meyer does not like dwelling on his Jaguars tenure. He did a poor job and he knows it. The change in fortunes, however, is certainly not just down to major roster surgery.
