The Jacksonville Jaguars were able to knock another head coaching candidate off their list of pending interviews to start the week. According to Mark Long of the Associated Press, they interviewed Tampa Bay Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles Monday, marking their third interview after Doug Pederson and Jim Caldwell were scheduled last week.
Bucs DC Todd Bowles is interviewing for the Jaguars' head coaching vacancy today.
Former NFL coaches Doug Pederson and Jim Caldwell were scheduled to interview last week.
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) January 3, 2022
Bowles is one of the candidates the Jags have reached out to with head coaching experience as he once was the head coach for the New York Jets from 2015-18. He was able to garner a record of 24-40 in the process with his season-best coming in 2015 when he was able to garner a record of 10-6. His following seasons as a head coach concluded with five wins or less.
Bowles started coaching in the NFL in 2000 with the Jets as a secondary coach. He proceeded to make stops with the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Arizona Cardinals before becoming a head coach. His stop in Arizona was as a defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians, who he also joined in Tampa for the same role.
Bowles’ stops in Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, and Philly involved him serving as a secondary coach of some sort, but he also was an assistant head coach and interim head coach in Miami and help an interim defensive coordinator role with the Eagles in 2012.
Bowles was a key part of the Bucs’ success last season as the team was victorious in Super Bowl LV as they exited the 2020 regular season ranked third against the rush. Currently, the team is once again ranked third in the category though they are 14th overall, but it’s expected that the unit will once again play a key role for the team in the playoffs as they have clinched the NFC South title.
The Jags will also interview Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore later this week. They’ve also expressed interest in Cowboys defensive coordinator and Moore’s co-worker Dan Quinn, who said he’d prefer to take interview requests after the season. Additionally, they’ve expressed interest in Bucs offensive coordinator and former Jaguar Byron Leftwich, Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nate Hackett (a former Jags coordinator), and Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
