HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
(On if he has a better team now than at the end of last season) “I mean, you would hope so, right?
Obviously, we haven’t played a game yet, so we don’t really know. I feel like we’ve added some pieces
through free agency that are going to help us; they give us depth. We got some experienced guys in the
locker room like [DL] Arik Armstead, [OL] Mitch Morse, who can really add some, one, the competition
you’re looking for, but two, I think a veteran presence at those positions. A guy like [QB] Mac Jones to
come in and solidify and really give us three quarterbacks that you’re going to need as we’ve seen, as
history would say. Our number one thing though is to keep Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] healthy, our
best chance of winning games is keeping Trevor healthy. Resigning guys, the DT’s [S Daniel Thomas] and
[LB] Caleb Johnson and restructuring Brandon [OL Brandon Scherff] and getting [OL] Ezra Cleveland back.
Just being able to work through your roster that way and getting the guys that are going to help us win
football games moving forward.”
(On what bringing in OL Mitch Morse can do for the team) “Well, you guys know I was in Kansas City
when we drafted him, so obviously I liked him and now that he came available, and this is not a knock on
Luke [OL Luke Fortner] at all, it’s just a matter of getting better at a position, getting better as a group. I
think Mitch brings a veteran presence, he’s done it for several years now. It’s really somebody that Luke
can invest some time in learning from and understanding. I think Mitch’s strengths can be Luke’s
weaknesses and vice versa, Luke’s strengths and Mitch’s weaknesses. They can really work together and
have that competition that you want. Having a guy like Mitch, a veteran backup come in, much like when
we signed Brandon [OL Brandon Scherff] a couple of years ago, just helps us better as an offensive line.”
(On how WR Gabe Davis fits into the offense) “Gabe is, to me, like a Swiss army knife. He can obviously
run routes, the guy is right around 81-82 targets a year for the last four years if you average them out.
He’s a big part of the offense in Buffalo. I think he’s going to be another key piece to what we’re doing
and we can put him in positions to block, we can put him in positions to run, he’s a good route runner,
he’s strong, he’s big, he’s local. All things are positive with Gabe and really looking forward to getting him
in there and seeing how he does fit with Christian [WR Christian Kirk] and Zay [WR Zay Jones] and even
[WR] Devin Duvernay now, getting him in that mix and obviously [WR] Parker Washington and [WR]
Elijah Cooks, some of the young guys we have. It should be a really good, exciting offseason to see just
how we can make all these pieces work.”
(On if TE Evan Engram’s next progression is to be a more down-field receiver) “It depends on how you
want to use him. He’s definitely capable of doing that, he’s shown that. We, as a staff, have got to put
him in positions to do that, number one. For a guy like Evan, I think that with his skill set, that would only
help us with his ability to get down the field, with his speed, strong to the catchpoint, all that kind of
stuff. Again, I put it more back on us as play callers and decision-makers to make sure that we are putting
him in that position.”
(On if the addition of TE Brenton Strange was to help TE Evan Engram) “It is and it will. Brenton is
another tight end that we got to find ways to get on the field and create some matchups. We like what
he did last year for us and we can now build upon that. I think that tight end room is a strong room, even
with Luke [TE Luke Farrell] in there. There’s depth and there’s stability which you’ve got to have.”
(On what he liked about S Darnell Savage to bring him in through free agency) “His nickel coverage ability
inside, his ability to blitz, he’s a good tackler, he’s a willing tackler, he’s a pretty cover guy, all things that
we were looking for at that position. He’s got the versatility to play multiple spots on defense. He does
give you that safety flex if you want to do it, he can play that nickel spot if you want to move him in
there. We have a young kid, [S] Antonio Johnson, that’s going to be a nice little work in progress in there
with these two guys and I’m just excited to get him in and get him working when he can.”
(On impact value of having a versatile safety like S Darnell Savage) “I think anymore, you’re starting to
see more guys with position flexibility, just like you would offensive linemen. Guards that can play center,
tackles that can play on both sides, you can move receivers around. I think it just helps your overall team
and if you do have an injury at a position, you can plug and play a guy. Having a guy like Darnell who has
that ability to play some safety, even Antonio [S Antonio Johnson] who we drafted, Antonio can play
safety, he can play nickel. You got the best of both worlds out of those two guys.”
(On if it’s important to have versatile players in the new defensive scheme) “Yeah, it is. Ryan’s [Defensive
Coordinator Ryan Nielsen] scheme is a little more four-down, and look, you’re playing 75-plus percent
away of nickel defense. You’re always going to be in four-down fronts and you’re always going to play
with a nickel whether it’s a normal nickel or a big nickel as a third safety as teams want to call it
sometimes. But it’s all a part of what Ryan wants to do and what he wants to get accomplished.”
(On if the end of last season will serve as fuel for returning players) “Yeah, as a coach, you’re hopeful
that’s the motivation. The way we finished the last month and a half is not our standard and it’s not what
we talk about. It goes against everything we talk about, really. We still had opportunities all the way to
the 18th week of the regular season. We’re there at the end, we just got to figure out a way to push
through that envelope and be there and credit to Houston, they battled their tails off all year. They were
much like us a year ago in ’22. We had to battle our tails off to get to where we got to. A credit to
DeMeco [Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans] and his staff and those players in Houston for winning the
division the way they did.”
(On how to balance the team being the hunter versus the hunted into another season) “I guess, now
we’re going back to the hunter again. This is the culture that I want to establish in Jacksonville and this is
the reason why you go get guys like [OL] Mitch Morse and [DL] Arik Armstead and the [S] Darnell Savages
and guys that have been to the postseason. These guys have been captains on their teams and they’ve
been to Super Bowls, they’ve been to AFC championship games. These guys know how to win and that’s
the influx of talent that we want to bring onto our young roster. Guys that have been there, done that.
Again, I’ve got to continue to message the team in the right way and there’s got to be a sort of
confidence about you that when you take the field on game day, there’s going to be games you’re going
to get beat, I understand that. But you’ve got to have that confidence and that swagger that you’re going
to get the job done on game day. I think bringing in some of these free agents we did this spring are
going to help that.”
(On how long it’s going to take him to shake off the Titans loss) “Well for me, it’s not so much that loss as
much as it is the last six games. When we were sitting there at 8-3 and we had everything going for us
and right in front of us. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it. I think for me it’s going to be my motivation,
my fuel, moving forward. I’m not going to let it cloud the vision but at the same time it’s going to be
close in my mind as I move forward with the team this spring.”
(On intrigued him most about DL Arik Armstead) “First of all, he’s played a ton of football. Trent [General
Manager Trent Baalke] has familiarity with him, drafted him in San Francisco. He’s been an outstanding
player for them. We’ve got [OLB] Josh Allen who’s a fifth-year guy, Travon’s [OLB Travon Walker] a young
second-year guy, going into his third. This is somebody that can come in and I think can, number one,
help Travon continue to grow but at the same time, give us what we need with the scheme that
[Defensive Coordinator] Ryan Nielsen wants to employ by having the pieces there. He can play defensive
end, he can move inside on third down, same with Travon. He can play end, he can move inside, there’s a
lot of different things. Then you add [DL] Roy Robertson-Harris, you add DaVon [DT DaVon Hamilton],
Josh in there. There’s a making of a potentially good defensive line by adding a guy like Arik and his
credibility, his work ethic, and just the amount of football and where he’s played.”
(On how important DL Arik Armstead’s leadership skills and accolades are) “It’s huge. Again, that’s the
reason why you go get guys like that, that have been there and done it. They’re the pinnacle of our sport
and I need guys on our team that have had accolades and awards like that, so that our guys can see
exactly what that looks like. That’s kind of the next step and the next phase for us as a team moving
forward.”
(On if he thinks the team got comfortable at 8-3 last season) “I believe so. I believe you can definitely get
comfortable. You can kind of believe and read into the hype that’s surrounding your football team. That’s
the one thing that can’t happen. You’ve got to guard against that obviously, and that’s something that I
think our team is going to realize moving forward.”
(On how he handles the team getting comfortable) “It’s just a matter of staying positive and staying
forward focused, forward thinking. You hate to live in the past but I think you can remember the past. I
think it’s fuel moving forward, it’s kind of our motivation as we go.”
(On how he feels about the cornerback room right now) “I feel good. I do feel good. [CB] Ronald Darby
who we had in Philly, added that piece. With Tyson [CB Tyson Campbell] back there and now with
Darnell [S Darnell Savage], adding that mix. We’ve got, as we mentioned Antonio [CB Antonio Johnson]
and we’ve got some young players that have played, Montaric [CB Montaric Brown] and stuff like that.
It’s a passing league so you’ve got to have defenders and you’ve got to have guys that can cover the pass,
but you also have guys too in our division there’s no shortage of running backs so they’re going to have
to be physical and tackle as well. But I feel like we’ve improved and we still have the draft ahead of us so
we’ll see where this thing shakes out.”
(On if he feels like it’s an arms race right now at wide receiver and if you can never have enough of them)
“Well, you can you never have enough of any position. You’ve got to have bodies and you’ve got to have
the right guys. The right guys that come in and add to your culture. But when you think of some of the
young quarterbacks and teams are playing in more 11 personnel nowadays, and having three guys. It’s
important that you have those guys. Our division, the AFC South, got better in a hurry just at the
quarterback position. You look at some of the teams that we have to face in Tennessee and Indy, they all
have pretty good receiver rooms. So, can never have enough.”
(On his thoughts on the current wide receiver draft class) “It’s good. You look at the top of the draft,
obviously it’s really good. Then there are always some guys you can find in the middle part of the draft
too that can come in and help you and probably aid more on special teams a little bit. Of course, we’ll
see how the new hybrid kickoff rule goes later today. It’s a good receiver class this year.”
(On if he thought he was going to get WR Calvin Ridley back) “There was, that was never out of the
question to do that. We always think of every possibility and every scenario and try to be the best team
that you can.”
(On why they decided to move on from CB Darious Williams, S Rayshawn Jenkins, and DL Foley Fatukasi)
“That’s part of free agency sometimes. It’s part of your roster construction. There are tough decisions
that have to be made and all three of those guys were very valuable to us. They helped us win a
championship in 2022 with the AFC South, get to the postseason and all that and they’ve battled through
some injuries themselves. You think about Foley and what he’s battled through and Rayshawn was a
staple back there in the secondary and all of that. It’s tough decisions but it’s part of our business, part
of our league, you have to move on and try to replace them if you can.”
(On why tight ends are so productive in today’s league) “Well you’re not seeing the big tight end
anymore, you’re not seeing that in-line guy and if he is, he’s 250 pounds he’s not 290 pounds like back in
the day. They’re athletic guys, they’re probably multiple sport athletes growing up. They’re bigger
receivers quite honestly. That’s what you’re seeing coming out of college with some of these guys. Now
getting to our level, yeah you’re going to ask them to block, you’re going to ask them to do more things
and they can do it. But I just think it’s how they’ve been brought up, the college program that they came
from a little bit. But again, I just think they’re the bigger receiver type guys that are playing tight end.”
(On if it’s easier to find the bigger receiver-type tight ends) “I think it depends on what you’re looking for
and the type of tight end that you want. You’ve got tight end Y’s and you’ve got tight end F’s in our
system. The tight end Y is more of your primary in-line blocker and tight end F is your Evan [TE Evan
Engram]. He’s a guy you can put in space, he can run routes, he can catch, and he can also block. So, it
just depends on what you’re looking for. I think a year ago was a pretty good tight end class, something
that we’re diving into this year looking there. We’re thankful that we’ve got three guys, that we were
able to get Brenton [TE Brenton Strange] last year to add to that room.”
(On the psychology of QB Mac Jones coming in as a former first-round pick and now a backup) “Those
are conversations we’ll have and I want to have with him coming in. I don’t want him to feel like there’s
any pressure on him to perform. He knows the expectation coming in and what, as a staff, we’re looking
for. I’m not in the mind of Mac Jones, but you’re a first-round pick and you had an excellent rookie
season and then things didn’t go the way you wanted to and then you get sidelined a little bit.
Everything kind of feels like it may have gotten derailed and that’s not who he is, obviously, so part of it
is just building that confidence back and letting him go out there and compete where he doesn’t have to
be the guy. Just go out there and show us what you’re capable of doing and that’s the expectation.”
(On the proposed kickoff change) “I know something is probably going to happen. I think there was
around 20 percent or 21 percent of kickoffs last year that were returned. Zero out of 13 kickoffs in the
Super Bowl were returned, they were all touchbacks. It’s a play that has gone away in football, but we
also got to remember that it can be a high injury rate play so we’ve got to think about player health and
safety and keeping our guys healthy. It’s a unique proposal. I think there’s more questions that have to
be asked, and we’ll see where it goes.”
(On how surprised he was the Texans QB CJ Stroud found quick success) “Not surprised at all. The guy
was talented coming out of Ohio State. I think everybody saw that. Obviously, well coached, that’s part
of it. The scheme is very user-friendly for him, put him in positions, their run game was successful then
the play-action pass, athletic enough to move. All those pieces kind of fell into place for him, but it
wasn’t a surprise. This guy, just knowing who he is, his makeup, the way he works, not a surprise.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s mindset after the end of the season) “He’s disappointed. He’s frustrated like
we are. He knows that he has to play better. He knows that. We help him as a staff. We help him play
better, but his availability, his health to the team, that’s the most important thing. At the quarterback
position, when you miss a Wednesday practice, a Thursday practice, and maybe you kind of go through
some individual work early and then you don’t take any team reps, that’s going to affect you on game
day. It does. We’ve got to make sure he’s taking every snap, every day out there at practice. If he does
that, then more good things are going to happen.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence is back where he was mentally when Coach Pederson arrived in 2021) “No.
He’s lightyears past there.”
(On what WR Gabe Davis brings after acquiring him in free agency) “Just his style of play. He’s big, he
runs extremely well, he’s physical as far as blocking. There’s a reason why he averaged about 80 plus
targets a year. He’s a down-the-field guy, much like [WR] Marvin Jones [Jr.] our first year, much like [WR]
Calvin [Ridley], not the same speed guy as Calvin, but can affect the defense down the field, is something
that we look for opposite of [WR] Zay Jones and mixing in with [WR] Christian [Kirk]. Just excited to have
him and work with him.”
(On how QB Trevor Lawrence is lightyears ahead of where he was in 2021) “Just where he is mentally,
just the mental part. We’ve got to get better as a football player, but mentally he’s in a good place.
Again, I wasn’t here in 2021, so I don’t know, but I can only speculate and say that he couldn’t have been
in a very good mental headspace coming out of that year, but now he’s playing meaningful games. He’s
taken, the last two years, our team right there and now we’ve got to push through that. Now it bothers
him. That part bothers him. Football bothers him and that’s a good thing. That’s where we’ve got to get
him pushing us through that envelope, that wall. The way we ended our season, that’s his motivation
too.”
(On how he feels about his offensive line) “I feel good. The biggest thing for us is that we do have to get
better in the run game. That’s a given, even as well as TJ [RB Travis Etienne Jr.], he was a 1,000-yard
rusher last year. We still have to get better. There’s still more on the table. That helps your quarterback.
You’ve got to be able to run the ball in this league as well. It sets up a lot of different things for you. So
that’s something as a staff we’ve been focused on this offseason. You know we feel like we’re a pretty
good passing team overall. We’re right around a top-10 passing offense and we can improve there. The
injuries affected us late in the season when [WR] Christian [Kirk] missed his five games and Zay [WR Zay
Jones] wasn’t healthy every week, you had [WR] Calvin [Ridley] and [TE] Evan [Engram] out there
playing. So, we can definitely take better strides there, but the offensive line, [OL] Cam [Robinson]
missed eight games. Our left guard was a revolving door early in the season. If you look at it, Week 18
was kind of that snapshot of our what the offensive line was supposed to look like with Cam, [OL] Ezra
[Cleveland], [OL] Luke [Fortner], [OL] Brandon [Scherff] and [OL] Anton [Harrison]. That was supposed to
be the original, not the original five to start the season, but when we got Ezra, that was supposed to be
what it looked like. They only played one game together. We’re excited for this upcoming offseason to
get those guys working together.”
(On if he has decided who will call offensive plays in 2024) “Not yet.”
(On how much responsibility QB Trevor Lawrence needs to take for his injuries in 2023) “Obviously,
nobody wants to get hurt and everybody is trying to make plays on the field. We just have to make sure
he is throwing the ball away or protecting himself, whatever he can do. Some of it, the Indy one, he was
rolling out on a play and he got tackled from behind and hurt himself there. The head stuff, we can help
him with that, just throwing the ball away and different things. He can do it himself, but at the same
time, we need as a staff to make sure we are helping him do that.”
(On what the Detroit Lions are getting in Defensive Passing Game Coordinator & Defensive Back Coach
DeShea Townsend) “They are going to get somebody that has a high passion for the game. He played the
position obviously so he has experience there. He’s a good leader on the field. He did a nice job of
getting those guys ready to play each week. He’s going to bring a lot of energy and that’s what you like
about him.”
(On the impact of QB Trevor Lawrence and OLB Josh Allen’s contract situation on the locker room) “You
hope it doesn’t affect them moving forward, however it plays out. Obviously you try to get something
done sooner than later. They’re both great players, they’re both Jaguars, they’re starters, they’re the
leaders of our team. That part is not going to change. They’re athletes, they’re competitors. When they
step out on that field, that’s what takes over, is that competition and all that. I know they let their agents
handle all the dirty work and the heavy lifting and they just have to go play.”
(On if he would like to add to the wide receiver room) “We’re going to consider and look and see if we
can continue to add. Yeah, we are going to add receivers. We need 15 or 16 guys going into training
camp so we’re going to add guys. We’re not where we need to be, it’s not the final product. If there is
somebody sitting there that makes you better, you are going to do everything you can to try to do that.
We talked about it, it’s a good receiver group this year. If you can always add talent, add talent wherever
you can.”
(On the best thing you can do to help a young quarterback have success) “I think one of the biggest
things you can do is help him with the run game. If you get your run game going, that’s going to open up
some things in the pass game. Play action pass, movement game and all of that. Just having the right
pieces around him, having guys that he is comfortable throwing the ball to. Guys that he kind of knows.
For me, it was [TE] Zach Ertz to [QB] Carson Wentz when he was that rookie quarterback. There was
confidence there and understanding that. Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] two years ago, [WR] Marvin
Jones [Jr.] was the guy he had the most confidence in. Then he got better with Zay [WR Zay Jones], Calvin
[WR Calvin Ridley], Evan [TE Evan Engram] and guys like that, but I do believe it starts with the run
game.”
(On how important it is for DT DaVon Hamilton to get back to himself) “To me, I think that’s the key. All
indications this offseason are that he is trending in the right direction, he’s getting back and I’m excited
for that and I know he is too. We missed that piece last year. Even though he played late, he just wasn’t
the same. Getting him back to full strength with guys like [DL] Arik [Armstead] and [DL] Roy [Robertson-
Harris]. This is going to be great for Roy too, having a guy like Arik in there, just a veteran guy to help
those guys. DaVon is a big piece.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence’s turnovers from last season can be fixed) “Yeah, you can fix it. Obviously,
interceptions are going to happen but it’s the pocket stuff. It’s the fumbling in the pocket, out of the
pocket. That’s the part that we can help him with, the ball security stuff. It’s hard for young players
because they feel like they can make every play. It’s okay to throw the ball away. We just have to keep
educating him in these situations. You can coach it. You are the guy that’s touching the ball every snap.
We have to make smart decisions too.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence telling the rest of the offense he is running a quarterback sneak) “That would be
part of it.”
(On the importance of getting RB Tank Bigsby more involved this year) “We have to get Tank going, the
bottom line. He is too good, that’s why we drafted him. I think early he had some ‘what is that’ type
plays for whatever reason right or wrong. Again, in and out of the lineup. He is a young player that we’re
excited about. Like we talked about last year, we take some burden off of Etienne [RB Travis Etienne Jr.] a
little bit, keep him healthy for the remainder of the season.”
(On if S Darnell Savage is the starting nickel) “He will compete at that spot. Right now, as the one right
there. We have Antonio [S Antonio Johnson] on the back end with Cisco [S Andre Cisco]. It’s a good little
mix of guys.”
(On if he sees S Antonio Johnson as a replacement for S Rayshawn Jenkins) “I think so moving forward.
He can also compete at nickel as well.”
(On how the staff views WR Devin Duvernay as a receiver) “Good, much like Jamal [WR Jamal Agnew] in
that regard. Baltimore used him in that way a little bit as a receiver. Excited to get him into our system
and see what he can do there and go from there.”
