Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson isn't giving away state secrets this early into training camp, opting not to inform the media, again, who will call plays on offense this season.
He did say, however, that he will consider what Jaguars owner Shad Khan believes should happen: Pederson should be calling the plays, but he won't force the issue.
Khan said this in June shortly after the team and the City of Jacksonville came to an agreement on the future stadium renovations: "Yeah, I have an opinion, okay. But then those are things, it's like the question about Trevor, I have an opinion and I think, but I don't want to tell people, look, we need to do it. Because then things don't work out, they look at me and say, we did it because you wanted it.
"Okay. So I think there's so much been written about it. Heck, New York Times had an article on it, and you remember the last line of that article. Okay, the last sentence of that article on this thing. So I think, but Doug, he's empowered. I'm going to let him decide. The last sentence was with everything Doug Pederson has riding this season, 'be wise to have his hand on the wheel.' "
Pederson was asked specifically about Khan's comments and whether or not he would weigh Khan's thoughts on the matter when he ultimately makes the decision.
His answer was far more succinct: "Yes," he said on the first day of training camp Wednesday.
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor called plays last year after being announced as the team's primary play-caller just before Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. Pederson called most plays during the 2022 season, his first year with the team, but gave second-half play-calling duties to Taylor during the second half of the season.
Jacksonville's offense was generally middling last season with the team's pass-game as an emphasis, ranking ninth in the league in passing yards per game at 242.7. Conversely, the team's rushing attack didn't fare as well, ranking 23rd in the league in rushing yards per game with 96.8.
They were middle of the pack in points per game (22.2, 15th) and third-down conversation percentage (38.16, 17th). Those numbers are not too far off how the team performed the previous season with Pederson as the team's primary play-caller.
In 2022, the Jaguars ranked ninth in points per game with 23.9 and 17th in third-down conversion percentage at 38.40%.
The one metric that stands out as a significant downgrade is the team's rushing performance. In 2022, they ranked 14th in the league in rushing yards per game with 125.1. Most of that, though, isn't just due to play-calling and Taylor has already said the team is working to revamp the ground attack headed into 2024.
Still, Pederson has been asked multiple times throughout the offseason about taking over play-calling duties after the team struggled to get better on offense, especially through the end of the season. He stoked the flames a bit at the NFL Combine after giving a non-committal answer to whether he even had a decision to make.
Whether or not he decides to retake the reigns, even if it's just publicly, remains to be seen.
But one thing's for certain, Khan's words will hold some weight with the veteran head coach.
Pederson won't change much during training camp in Year 3
Though he hasn't publicly decided on play-calling, Pederson remains steady in all other areas. He won't make grand changes this training camp, that's not how he operates.
"I don't change a whole lot. I mean, there's some schedule changes that I've made, but nothing on the practice field or anything like that," said Pederson. "We still abide by the guidelines ... nothing like that is gonna change. Just moved around some meeting times and walk-throughs and things like that."
Pederson is opening his third training camp with the Jaguars since becoming the team's head coach in 2022. The Jaguars are preparing for a rebound season after a disappointing end to 2023 that ended with a 9-8 record and a flight home after Week 18 finished.
Still, optimism for the season ahead is always high this time of the year and that's no different for Pederson who views last year as a year of learning.
"It was a disappointing end of our season [last year]. As high as it was for the first 11 games, it was just as low the last six. But, it's all stuff we can learn from, how it motivates guys and how we can lean on those experiences, coaches and players," Pederson said. "With the addition of the new guys, hopefully that helps us get through those times."
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Doug Pederson non-committal on play calling, will consider Shad Khan's comments
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