Getty Nick Foles and Jacksonville Jaguars OC Press Taylor.
Could current Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor be a solid option to replace Matt Eberflus as head coach of the Chicago Bears?
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report named the Bears one of two teams Taylor would be best suited to coach. Taylor, who won a Super Bowl after the 2017 season while serving as an assistant quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, is in his second year with the Jags.
Considering his success in helping develop Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Ballentine thinks Taylor would be the perfect Choice for the Bears should they choose to move on from Eberflus at the end of the season.
“Press Taylor has two major things going for him as a head coaching candidate: The impressive progression of Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense in his two years as coordinator and a seal of approval from Doug Pederson,” Ballentine wrote on November 9. “It’s hard for an offensive head coach to hand off play-calling duties to an assistant, but Pederson was willing to do that before this season.”
A Quick Look at Press Taylor’s Résumé
Doug Pederson has now made playoffs in 4 of 6 seasons as head coach.
He does it with a RB who went over 1K yards and a WR who went over 1K yards, which never happened in Philly. (A TE topped 1K with Eagles.)
Offense is top 10 in DVOA; Press Taylor is a big part of that, too.
Taylor, 35, is the younger brother of Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. His coaching career began in the collegiate ranks at Tulsa in 2011, and he entered the NFL not long after that in 2013. That’s when he began working with Pederson in Philadelphia.
Here’s a look at Taylor’s coaching history:
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2022–present) Offensive coordinator
- Indianapolis Colts (2021) Senior offensive assistant
- Philadelphia Eagles (2020) Quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator
- Philadelphia Eagles (2018–2019) Quarterbacks coach
- Philadelphia Eagles (2016–2017) Assistant quarterbacks coach
- Philadelphia Eagles (2013–2015) Offensive quality control coach
- Tulsa (2011–2012) Graduate assistant
The progress Lawrence has made since Taylor and Pederson entered the picture in 2022 has been marked. As a rookie in 2021, Lawrence completed 59.6% of his passes for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The following year, the Jags QB made the Pro Bowl, throwing for 4,133 yards, 25 TDs and eight interceptions (66.3 completion percentage).
“Lawrence looked shaky in his rookie season under Urban Meyer’s tutelage as the Jags went 3-14. Taylor was a big part of the reason the Jags went from that to 9-8 with a top-10 offense last year. Now the Jags are 6-2 and sitting atop the AFC South,” Ballentine noted, adding:
“Taylor, 35, fits the mold of young, dynamic offensive mind that many teams are looking for. The Chicago Bears should be looking for those types to mold either Justin Fields or a rookie quarterback next season.”
Remember the ‘Philly Special’ From Super Bowl LII?
Press Taylor saw the “Philly Special” used in a meaningless Bears game at the end of the 2016 season.
He ear-marked it and brought it to Frank Reich. More than a year later, it re-appeared in arguably the gutsiest play ever called in a Super Bowl.
In a July 2023 interview with Peter Schrager of the NFL Network, Taylor discussed his role in the ‘Philly Special,’ the memorable touchdown play in the first half of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots.
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who also spent time with the Bears, lined up in shotgun, but running back Corey Clement took the snap and pitched the ball to tight end Trey Burton. Foles snuck in the end zone and was on the receiving end of a TD pass from Burton.
It is considered one of the gutsier calls in Super Bowl history and one of the game’s most memorable plays. As it turns out, the play came from Taylor — who revealed he saw the Bears do it successfully in 2016 against the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s a look at the play Taylor says turned into the Philly Special, which features former Bears wideout Cam Meredith tossing a TD to ex-QB Matt Barkley:
Taylor is young and has no head coaching experience, but he has a strong mentor in Pederson. His success with Lawrence is also intriguing. Still, Taylor is in his first year as a playcaller. That inexperience is a tad glaring.
If the Bears decide to move on from Eberflus — and they should, if they plan to draft a new quarterback — adding an offensive mind like Taylor makes sense. But adding a more experienced leader might make even more sense.