3 Observations on the Jaguars' Reported Hire of Chad Hall

The Jacksonville Jaguars were always going to enter 2023 with most of their coaching staff intact, but the wide receiver room is one unit that will be led by a new face next season.

After ex-wide receivers coach Chris Jackson left the Jaguars' staff for a job with the University of Texas as wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator for the Longhorns, the Jaguars have reportedly tabbed former Buffalo Bills assistant and wide receivers coach Chad Hall as his replacement.

What does the hire of Hall mean and how should we interpret its impact on the receiver group? We examine below.

Doug Pederson continues to impress when it comes to building, developing his staff

If there was any major question facing Doug Pederson after his Philadelphia Eagles tenure, it was his coaching staff hires. Pederson recycled through plenty of coaches with the Eagles and ran into a lot of constant change, especially after their Super Bowl win. Pederson clearly hired talented coaches, but some of his promotions on the offensive side of the ball were combated by the Eagles' ownership and front office, while the question of whether he could hire outside of his own circle was also raised.

Pederson erased all of those questions last year, with Press Taylor thriving as offensive coordinator and other hires such as offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, special teams coordinator Heath Farwell, defensive backs coach DeShea Townsend, and others. Add in an impressive hire in Hall, who Pederson coached from 2010-2013 in Philadelphia and Kansas City, and Pederson is on a bit of a hot run in terms of his coaching hires. 

Coaching staffs will have to evolve year in and year out, especially as success comes. The more games the Jaguars win, the more other teams will want to hire Pederson's assistants. And so far, Pederson has answered every single question when it comes to finding those assistants. 

Jaguars will have everything working in their favor at wide receiver in 2023

The Jaguars' wide receiver room had a good year in 2022, with Christian Kirk posting career highs in yards, catches, and touchdowns while hitting the 1,000-yard mark. Zay Jones had a career year in his own right, setting highs in catches and yards with 82 grabs for 823 yards and five touchdowns. Add in the trade for Calvin Ridley, another former 1,000-yard receiver, and the Jaguars have a ton of talent in the receiver room before the offseason even begins. 

The room should get only better with a strong hire made at position coach. Hall oversaw 11 different top-50 DVOA seasons by receivers in his four years as the Bills' wide receivers coach, with wideouts such as Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis, Isaiah McKenzie, and John Brown producing on his watch. In comparison, the Jaguars only had five such seasons in the last four years, including only one wideout cracking the top-50 in 2022 with Kirk. 

Between Hall's talent, the receivers who make up the room, Pederson's scheme, and Trevor Lawrence's chemistry with the room, the arrow is pointing up in a big way for the Jaguars' wide receivers moving forward.

Why Jacksonville could be seen as a solid landing spot for Hall

On the surface, the Jaguars landing Hall is a home run for a number of reasons, chief among them being the fact that it weakens a conference opponent and shows the Jaguars are on the rise since Hall is taking a lateral move as coach. But when looking at it from Hall's perspective, there are plenty of reasons to understand why this move makes sense.

For one, Hall will now be attached to an offensive staff and head coach that could help him raise his cache as a future coordinator candidate. Hall interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens for their coordinator role already this offseason, and a year under Pederson's tutelage and with Trevor Lawrence could give Hall even more looks moving forward.

Plus, Hall can potential even find a bigger role in Jacksonville than in Buffalo. It remains to be seen whether passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter will return in 2023 since he is an offensive coordinator candidate in both Tampa Bay and Carolina, which means there could be a naturally elevated role for Hall right off the bat in Jacksonville.