3 Jacksonville Jaguars who should be benched or worse for depressing MNF display

In the weak AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars have failed to separate themselves despite having the highest-paid quarterback in the division. Sure, it's only been three games, but fans have a right to request answers.

The Jags collapsed last season to miss the playoffs altogether. As an answer for the fanbase, they stuck by head coach Doug Pederson and signed Trevor Lawrence to one of the largest contracts in the NFL. Lawrence has not played well to start the season, but the Jags are stuck with him for the foreseeable future. Typically, if a talented quarterback is performing below par, that is a reflection of coaching.

Sure, there's a chance Lawrence took a massive step back between the midway point of the 2023 season and now, but he was one of the most highly-touted QB prospects at one time for a reason. Heck, the Jags wouldn't have extended Lawrence if he were this bad, right? Right?!

While Lawrence is in the clear for now, there are several members of the Jaguars coaching staff and roster who aren't as lucky. Should their slide continue, ownership won't be as kind this time around.

Mac Jones is a likely trade candidate for the Jaguars

Though it's through no fault of his own, the Jaguars owe it to themselves to explore the trade market for Mac Jones. Jones is a former first-round pick who started plenty of games for the New England Patriots before it all fell apart. Jones was traded to Jacksonville this offseason, and the Jags could try and recoup some of the draft capital they lost in acquiring him, at the very least.

Jones makes sense for any number of teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders, which are in a quarterback purgatory of their own creation. If the Jaguars slide continues, expect them to shop Jones around the deadline and retool for the 2025 season. At one time, Jacksonville had a bright football future. This season has gone awry, but that does not change the fact that they have the most important position in football figured out. The rest is a different question entirely.

Were Jacksonville to make a run in the AFC South, then it would be vital to have a capable signal-caller behind Lawrence in case of injury. With their season quickly going the way of Jones career with the Patriots, parting ways with a high-caliber backup makes sense.

The Jaguars offense is a mess, and there's an obvious fall guy

The Jaguars offense has been elementary, to say the least, in recent weeks. While there's plenty of blame to go around, Press Taylor is the obvious in-season fall guy if a change needs to be made. Taylor has spent three seasons in Jacksonville and the offense has gotten demonstrably worse since his arrival.

If you want an idea of how poorly the Jags are playing right now, just ask Lawrence, who just last week proclaimed "we suck right now," in a postgame press conference. I wonder how he feels this week?

Taylor will receive time to fix his mess, as he should. It's only Week 3, after all, and the Bills are one of the AFC's best teams for a reason. However, his leash is getting shorter by the game, and Monday's effort won't help matters.

At some point, the Jags have to look in the mirror

Whatever Doug Pederson has preached to his team the last near-full season, he should try the opposite. Pederson won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and made Carson Wentz and Nick Foles look like perennial Pro Bowlers. What happened, man?

Pederson is a capable offensive mind at his best. We know this from experience, but there's a chance the league passed him by. His in-game adjustments aren't working, and you know it's bad when fans are calling for Jones to receiving playing time in place of Lawrence.

The biggest reason for the Jags to consider a coaching change isn't necessarily Pederson, but the candidates who would be interest should the job become vacant. Jacksonville has its quarterback and some weapons in place. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson comes to mind as an immediate injection of youth and offensive variety Jacksonville could use.