Jaguars Part Ways with OC John DeFilippo; HC Doug Marrone to Begin Search

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced Monday they have "mutually" parted ways with offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.

Head coach Doug Marrone will begin the search for his third offensive coordinator in three seasons immediately, per John Oehser of jaguars.com. The Jags fired ex-OC Nathaniel Hackett in November 2018.

The Jags finished 26th in scoring and 20th in yards per play last season, per Pro Football Reference.

They were forced to navigate what appeared to be a difficult situation at first after starter Nick Foles suffered a broken collarbone in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

However, rookie signal-caller Gardner Minshew stepped in and was largely exceptional given the circumstances, completing 61.2 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions during his first stint running the offense. He also rushed for 235 yards.

Foles came back for the Jags' 10th game against the Indianapolis Colts, but Minshew was inserted back into the lineup one game later after Foles' rough start versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The first-year pro out of Washington State started the rest of the way and finished the season with 21 touchdowns and just six picks.

Despite Minshew's success, the Jags' offense was a below-average unit, with Football Outsiders ranking Jacksonville 24th in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).

Still, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network called the OC switch "surprising," noting DeFilippo's work with Minshew.

DeFilippo was the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator in 2015 and the Minnesota Vikings' OC in 2018. The Browns fired head coach Mike Pettine after the 2015 season and did not retain DeFilippo. Minnesota relieved DeFilippo of his duties after a 21-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in November.

The 41-year-old worked as the Eagles' quarterbacks coach in between his Browns and Vikings stints and helped oversee the development of Carson Wentz and the postseason success of Super Bowl LII hero and MVP Foles. The Eagles went 13-3 and won their first Super Bowl largely due to the efforts of their signal-callers.

Philadelphia has an opening at offensive coordinator after firing Mike Groh, and Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com wrote that owner Jeffrey Lurie is a "huge fan" of the coach.

Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer also offered his take.

"To return to Philly, DeFilippo would have to be OK with giving up play-calling," McLane wrote.

"He may have no choice—unless he wants to take some time off—as there aren’t many of those openings left. Still not sure if Doug Pederson wants to hire someone outside his comfort zone."

DeFilippo has coached in the college or NFL ranks since 2000.