Jaguars finalize 2024 coaching staff; includes former Seahawks' Kris Richard as DB coach

After naming Ryan Nielsen the team's defensive coordinator a few weeks ago, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson announced his full coaching staff for the 2024 season Thursday.

Pederson was tasked with replacing a couple of coaches on the offensive side of the football, including the team's running backs coach and assistant offensive line coach after parting ways with Bernie Parmalee and Todd Washington.

Offensive quality control coach Greg Austin was promoted to the team's assistant offensive line coach role. Meanwhile, Pederson hired former Tennessee Volunteers RB coach Jerry Mack as the team's RB coach to replace Parmalee.

Next task: New Jaguars DC Ryan Nielsen excited for Josh Allen to 'work out' contract negotiations

The Jaguars also lost offensive passing game coordinator Nick Holz to the Tennessee Titans. Holz will be Tennessee's offensive coordinator in 2024 under new Titans head coach Brian Callahan. Pederson has not hired a new passing game coordinator at this time.

Pederson and Nielsen were also tasked with replacing most of the team's defensive coaching staff after firing Mike Caldwell shortly following the 2023 campaign. Only outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey, defensive quality control coach Patrick Reilly and assistant defensive line coach Rory Segrest were retained.

Reilly has since been promoted to the team's assistant inside linebackers coach role.

Here is the list of new hires in 2024 for the Jaguars:

One name that stands out above all is defensive backs coach Kris Richard, who spent nearly a decade with the Seattle Seahawks in various roles including defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator. He spent 2021-22 with Nielsen in New Orleans.

During his time with Seattle, Richard helped usher in one of the most influential defenses of this generation, "the Legion of Boom," comprised of star defenders Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner, Byron Maxwell and in the latter years of his tenure, former Jaguars CB Shaq Griffin.

Another interesting nugget on the team's new coaches is on Jaguars assistant secondary coach/defensive analysis Mike Gray. Gray was with Nielsen in 2023, working with the secondary. He is a Jacksonville, Fla., native and was a two-time All-County safety at Creekside High School.

Inside linebackers coach Matt House coached Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen in college. House was the team's defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach from 2017-18 before jumping to the pros.

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

If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider becoming a subscriber to support local journalism in Northeast Florida.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars finalize defensive coaching staff, promote two coaches