John DeFilippo resurfaced in Florida.
The ex-Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator is expected to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' new OC, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, per sources informed of the situation. The team later confirmed the acquisition.
It's a vital hire for Jags coach Doug Marrone, who needed to inject some creativity into his ground-and-pound offense.
How DeFilippo will mesh in Jacksonville is something to watch throughout the summer. The 40-year-old coordinator was jettisoned from Minnesota with three games left in the 2018 campaign. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer repeatedly publicly complained of the lack of a running game throughout the season before firing DeFilippo.
If Marrone plans to continue emphasizing the ground game, will DeFilippo play along?
Marrone said Wednesday he's very comfortable with the research that he did on DeFilippo.
"Oh yeah. I don't have a problem with that," Marrone said of DeFilippo's playcalling. "Like I said before, if we don't pressure enough, if we don't take a chance, if we don't run it enough, the throwing, or any of those situations go on, everything on game day goes through my headset. I always have the ability to say 'this is what I want to do' and we work the entire week together. And that's one of the things I felt comfortable with (DeFilippo)."
The Jags owned one of the most anemic offenses in the NFL in 2018. Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler combined to form the worst quarterback situation in the league. First-round running back Leonard Fournette couldn't stay healthy and was ineffective when on the field. The offensive line was an epic disaster after being ravaged by injury. And the lack of experienced pass-catchers hindered the aerial attack.
DeFilippo has experience working for Jags EVP Tom Coughlin. The OC began his NFL coaching career as a quality control coach in New York under Coughlin and now rejoins him in Jacksonville.
The move to hire DeFilippo is also certain to set off further speculation that the Jags could target quarterback Nick Foles this offseason. DeFilippo was widely credited with aiding the reigning Super Bowl MVP during his stint as the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterbacks coach during last season's playoff run.
Once viewed as the next hot head coaching candidate, DeFilippo's stock plummeted after his disappointing run in Minnesota. If he can raise a morbid Jags offense back to life, he'll surely get another look at coaching jobs down the line.
