Entering the 2013 offseason, then-Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was among the hottest names on the head-coaching candidate list.
He had guided Seattle from the 24th ranked defense in yards allowed in 2009 to the fourth ranked unit by 2012, improving each season in between while serving under two different head coaches.
From a successful time in Tampa Bay as its linebackers coach (2006-2008) to building a defense over four years that eventually won a Super Bowl in Seattle, Bradley had earned the next opportunity in his coaching career and Jacksonville was thrilled to land him.
But after a 12-36 record over three years – one that would’ve gotten many other coaches, under less patient owners, fired – the honeymoon would seem to be over. For Bradley, it’s win-now or else.
That was the general belief outside the building, at least.
During an appearance on NFL Network, though, general manager Dave Caldwell, hired with Bradley in 2013, gave the head coach a vote of confidence and nod of patience.
“I think, for us, we’ve always targeted year four and year five in this building of this team,” Caldwell said, via Mike DiRocco of ESPN. “We wanted to make good, safe, sound decisions and build a foundation for the first three years, and then take a little bit of risk this year going into year four.
“Coach Bradley and his staff, they do a great job and I think we just have to show improvement, continue to show improvement.”
Caldwell noted the selection of Myles Jack, a prospect once believed to be a first-round talent who fell to Round 2 because of a lingering knee issue, as a risk that shows the team is ready to take the next step. He also mentioned free agent additions Malik Jackson, who signed a six-year, 90$ million deal, and Tashaun Gipson, who signed a five-year, 35$ million contract, as proof that the Jags are just now entering the next phase of their plan – one that started by building the foundation through the draft and later supplementing the roster through free agency.
“I don’t know what that looks like in the wins and loss columns, but I expect good things and our best football is ahead of us,” Caldwell said.
It has to be promising for Jags fans that there’s a strong level of trust between the front office and coaching staff, but stability would only seem to work if Jacksonville shows noticeable improvement this season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
After drafting its franchise quarterback Blake Bortles in 2014 and surrounding him with weapons over the next two years – arguably the league’s best WR corps in Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson – Jacksonville shifted its focus to the defensive side of the ball and, on paper, would appear to have one of the most talented young rosters in the NFL.
From the return of Dante Fowler, last year’s No. 3 overall pick, to the arrival of Ramsey and Jack, the Jags have reason to feel confident that they can build on their foundation and improve their already promising, 9th ranked unit from 2015.
Bradley has shown in the past that he knows what to do with young talent, which bodes well for one of the league’s most up-and-coming teams.
