No. 2 Jacksonville Jaguars
How you feel about this job boils down to how you feel about Blake Bortles. His 2016 season was a series of dumpster fires, but in the years before that, he’d shown a strong arm and playmaking mobility. Whoever coaches Bortles needs to run a downfield passing offense—something that accommodates his methodical release and dropback style. There’s plenty of young talent around Bortles. And there’s more than plenty of young talent opposite him. The Jaguars have one of the NFL’s most promising defenses; it finished sixth in yards allowed this season. Fifth overall pick Jalen Ramsey finished his rookie year on the strongest of notes and can blossom into a top-five corner by the end of 2017. This is in large part because Ramsey can play inside or outside, which seems like a minor detail but is the difference between having a man-to-man scheme that’s limited and one that isn’t. If your man coverages aren’t limited, then your blitzes aren’t either. And this would be a fun defense to blitz with. It has a lot of speed along the front seven and some outstanding dirty-work players who do well in group designs (this, for example, is what made Malik Jackson so valuable in Denver). Yes, the Jaguars are an unsuccessful franchise, but one with a patient owner, young talent on both sides of the ball and a home in Florida, where friendly income tax laws make it easier to attract and retain top players.
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Best Fit for Jacksonville
Sean McVay, Washington’s offensive coordinator
He could be confused for the youngest of the Gruden brothers. McVay’s offense has had the best downfield play-action game in the NFL over the past two years. It’d be a great fit for Bortles.