Forging a winning culture: Pederson hopes leadership overhaul will help young Jaguars thrive

ORLANDO — It didn't take long for Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson to get rolling after an early-morning wake-up call to take part in breakfast and chat with the local media about the team at the NFL's Annual League Meeting on Monday just a couple of hours south of Jacksonville in Orlando.

The changes made throughout the offseason thus far have been palpable, and Pederson feels the team is taking steps in the right direction after a full collapse to end last season's campaign.

Or, they should be at least.

"You would hope so, right?" Pederson said with a smile.

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Multiple players were sent packing.

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins, cornerback Darious Williams and defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi, once staples of an ascending defense, suddenly found themselves searching for new homes just ahead of free agency. Williams re-joined the Los Angeles Rams, Fatukasi took his talents to the Houston Texans and Jenkins signed a deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

That's all part of the process, Pederson said.

"It's part of your roster construction. There are tough decisions that have to be made and all three of those guys were very valuable to us," Pederson remarked, noting the trio helped in a big way the year prior when the Jaguars won the AFC South title.

"It's tough decisions but it's part of our process, part of our league, you have to move on and try to replace them if you can," he added.

The Jaguars replaced the three with other veterans including nickel/safety Darnell Savage, cornerback Ronald Darby and defensive lineman Arik Armstead.

The three were brought in for various reasons, but also to help defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen field the type of defense he wants to run.

"It's all part of what Ryan wants to do and what he wants to get accomplished," Pederson said about players brought in offering versatility.

Neilsen's defense wasn't the only area the Jaguars sought to improve, though, the team was pointed in acquiring experienced players on both sides of the football.

'Veteran presence': Doug Pederson breaks down Jaguars 2024 free agency class

One of the tenets of free agency throughout general manager Trent Baalke and Pederson's tenure so far has been centered around high-character, veteran leaders joining the roster via free agency.

That didn't change this year, either. The Jaguars sought out players who fit the mold they were looking for. Former captains, including receiver Gabe Davis, Armstead and center Mitch Morse were highly sought after.

During his time in Green Bay, Savage was named a captain at one point (the Packers do not have full-season captains). Pederson had familiarity with Darby in his time with the Eagles and receiver/return specialist Devin Duverney had been nothing but class with the Baltimore Ravens during his short career.

Pederson had a bit to say about all of them, but he kept mentioning one phrase when talking about both Morse and Armstead: "veteran presence."

"We got some experienced guys in the locker room like Arik Armstead, Mitch Morse, who can really add some, one, the competition you're looking for, but two, I think a veteran presence at those positions," said Pederson.

Though, the entire free agency class centered around all players having not just experience, but experience throughout the postseason and the Super Bowl in Armstead's case.

"This is the culture that I want to establish in Jacksonville and this is the reason why you go get guys like Mitch Morse and Arik Armstead and the Darnell Savages and guys that have been to the postseason," said Pederson.

"These guys have been captains on their teams and they've been to Super Bowls, they've been to AFC Championship games. These guys know how to win and that's the influx of talent that we want to bring onto our young roster. Guys that have been there, done that."

That's been a focus for Pederson this year to get the Jaguars to take the next leap in their build.

"I need guys on our team that have had accolades and awards like that, so that our guys can see exactly what that looks like. That's kind of the next step and the next phase for us as a team moving forward," he said.

Armstead and Morse expected to help younger players, Walker, Allen and Fortner

For both Armstead and Morse, as Pederson alluded to, they were brought in to help in the team's leadership department.

But they'll also help the team in other ways, including pushing players already on the roster and by creating competition.

"We've got [OLB] Josh Allen who's a fifth-year guy, Travon's [OLB Travon Walker] a young second-year guy, going into his third. This is somebody that can come in and I think can, number one, help Travon continue to grow but at the same time, give us what we need with the scheme that Ryan Nielsen wants to employ by having the pieces there," Pederson said when asked about Armstead.

"He can play defensive end, he can move inside on third down, same with Travon. He can play end, he can move inside, there's a lot of different things."

Pederson compared Armstead to Walker, the team's No. 1 pick in 2022, giving the team a versatile piece on the defensive line that can play end in base and move inside on passing downs. With defensive linemen Roy Robertson-Harris and DaVon Hamilton also in the fold, that gives Jacksonville a decent group on the defensive line.

"There's a making of a potentially good defensive line by adding a guy like Arik and his credibility, his work ethic, and just the amount of football and where he's played."

For Morse, the veteran center gives the team an option after a disappointing campaign from second-year center Luke Fortner. Still, while Morse is expected to start, Pederson said the veteran can help Fortner continue to progress, they aren't giving up on him.

"This is not a knock on Luke [Fortner] at all, it's just a matter of getting better at a position, getting better as a group. I think Mitch brings a veteran presence, he's done it for several years now," Pederson said or Morse.

"It's really somebody that Luke can invest some time in learning from and understanding. I think Mitch's strengths can be Luke's weaknesses and vice versa, Luke's strengths and Mitch's weaknesses. They can really work together and have that competition you want."

Both Morse and Armstead will be counted on this year as the team tries to rebound from a disappointing 9-8 campaign that is still tough for Pederson to wrap his mind around.

"I don't know if I'll ever get over it," he said.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X,  formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Doug Pederson talks new Jaguars leadership at annual meetings