Jacksonville Jaguars: What Gus Bradley Must Achieve in 2015 to Avoid Hot Seat

Head coach Gus Bradley has changed the Jacksonville Jaguars in a lot of ways, considerably for the better. It's not often you see coaches with Bradley's enthusiasm reinvent a team like he has been doing.

Bradley and general manager David Caldwell have been a positive duo to bring in the right player personnel and to give this team an identity. The locker room attitude has consistently been positive, and Bradley's 4-3 defense seems to be coming together.

However, Bradley hasn't been perfect. Despite a good attitude and decent progress in regard to the team's talent, the results on the field have been abysmal. Given the situation, 7-25 is understandable, but that doesn't mean there isn't pressure on Bradley to succeed.

Owner Shad Khan has been very involved with this team and the city of Jacksonville since his purchase of the Jaguars in 2011, and while Bradley seems to be on good terms with him, Khan isn't going to keep Bradley if he can't start to produce results.

For some NFL teams, a 7-25 record wouldn't ever meet expectations. However, few teams have gone through an overhaul like the Jaguars have, and the organization has been understandably patient with Bradley.

The front office is supportive of playing out the clear vision Bradley has for the Jaguars, especially defensively. He's an established coach, and his success with the Seattle Seahawks earned him a chance to prove himself.

When the Jaguars hired Bradley, he was coming off a successful stint as the defensive coordinator of the Seahawks. After two below-average seasons, the Seahawks' faith paid off, and Bradley delivered with two solid seasons on the defensive end, as seen below.

Year	Yards Per Game	Points Per Game
2009	356.4 (24th)	24.4 (25th)
2010	368.6 (27th)	25.4 (25th)
2011	332.2 (9th)	19.7 (7th)
2012	306.2 (4th)	15.3 (1st)

With head coach Pete Carroll, Bradley made the Seahawks defense one of the toughest in the NFL. His 4-3 scheme was successful, but what helped him make the jump from one of the worst defenses in the league in 2010 to a top-10 defense in 2011?

Well, Byron Maxwell and Richard Sherman certainly help. The two joined Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Walter Thurmond coming into 2011 to create the proper Legion of Boom, one of the best and most devastating secondaries in the NFL.

There was talent in the front seven, but crucial secondary additions helped the Seahawks have a talented defense on all fronts, not just in run defense or in the pass rush.

The Jaguars seem to be in a similar situation, just without the additions of a Sherman or Maxwell. Free-agent signing Davon House will be solid, but there is no standout performer in the secondary, even with his addition and the proper return of Jeremy Harris and Aaron Colvin.

The addition of Sergio Brown and rookie James Sample at free safety will help, but Bradley also needs Jonathan Cyprien to find his rookie form or something even better. Cyprien had a huge workload last season, but with better talent and depth, he needs to show his quality.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press/Associated Press

Obviously, the secondary won't be the make-or-break factor that decides Bradley's job after 2015, but it is crucial. Elsewhere, Bradley needs new offensive coordinator Greg Olson to deliver offensive improvement and a better handling of quarterback Blake Bortles.

With Olson manning the offense instead of young (age 39), somewhat inexperienced Jedd Fisch, Bradley can better focus on the defense and deliver on-field results. Between him and defensive coordinator Bob Babich, there is no reason the defense won't have its best year yet.

Overall, Bradley doesn't have anything to worry about right now. The team was going to be a long-term project, but it is reaching the point where the Jaguars need something on paper to keep moving forward with him.

Six wins is likely the realistic expectation, with seven wins being a very good year and five wins being slightly disappointing but not anything majorly upsetting. That is, of course, if the Jaguars play competitively and show they can contend even in their losses.

The pressure on Bradley is light at the moment, but it's still there. He's now built this team with Caldwell, and all they have to do is show that there is progress on the field and get some results. If he can't do that in 2015, it may be time to look elsewhere.

Do you think Bradley is on the hot seat already? Or maybe that he deserves another year even if this season doesn't go as hoped? Comment below, and answer the poll!

All stats were provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.

Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter @evanreier.