Jaguars 2025 head coach candidate profile: Eagles OC Kellen Moore

For the third time in 5 years, the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for a brand new head coach.

Huge Cat Nation’s Jaguars head coach hiring course of tracker is continually being up to date — however to offer extra info on the highest candidates being interviewed, we’ll be releasing in-depth profiles all through the search.

Different head coach candidate profiles:

Subsequent up: Kellen Moore, who will even be interviewing with the Saints for his or her head coach emptiness.

Photograph by Mitchell Leff/Getty Photos

Expertise

Born and raised in Prosser, Washington, Kellen Moore went on to develop into some of the profitable quarterbacks within the historical past of school soccer with the Boise State Broncos. Regardless of not taking part in for one of many blue blood applications, Moore turned the winningest quarterback in school soccer historical past with a 50-3 document throughout his time on the blue turf. From 2007-2011, Moore set a number of data at Boise State, together with holding the NCAA document for lowest proportion of passes intercepted in a profession (28 interceptions in 1,658 passing makes an attempt – 0.017%). When his time with the Broncos lastly got here to an finish, Moore completed second in NCAA historical past in passing touchdowns (142), third in passing effectivity (168.97), and fifth in passing yards (14,667).

Regardless of this prolific school profession, Moore went undrafted in 2012, as an alternative signing a UDFA contract with the Lions. Regardless of spending three seasons within the Motor Metropolis, Moore by no means threw a cross within the common season. He subsequently signed with the Cowboys as an understudy to Tony Romo and Brandon Weedon, and at last noticed his first actual NFL motion in a two-game audition to finish 2015. Harm in 2016 signalled the start of the tip for Moore as a professional, and he lastly hung up his cleats in 2018.

The Cowboys have been impressed with Moore’s soccer acumen a lot nonetheless, that they appointed him quarterbacks coach the very subsequent season. It took him 12 months extra to be appointed offensive coordinator in Dallas, a place he held for 4 years. Since then, he has spent a 12 months every with the Chargers and Eagles respectively, each as offensive coordinator.

Moore was praised for his time as OC in Dallas, twice main the Cowboys to a league-best output in yards and as soon as (2021 season) main the NFL in scoring (30.4 factors per recreation). Dallas averaged a whopping 401.4 yards per recreation in that common season. In 2022, Dallas ranked second within the NFL in factors per recreation within the common season (28.8) and led the league in red-zone landing effectivity (71.34 %).

In these 4 seasons Moore oversaw the offense, the Cowboys averaged the second-most factors per recreation within the NFL (27.7) and have been second within the NFL in whole offense (391 web yards per recreation) with high 10 passing and dashing manufacturing. In addition they ranked within the high 4 in third-down proportion (44 %) in these 4 seasons. While his time in LA was blighted with damage to his offensive expertise, he has bounced again properly in Philly, serving to the Eagles to the #2 seed as they embark on the playoffs.

Efficiency

2024 Eagles offense

Factors per recreation: 27.2 (seventh)
First downs per recreation: 21.2 (tied sixth)
Yards per recreation: 367.2 (eighth)
Yards per play: 5.6 (tied eleventh)
EPA per play: 0.1 (sixth)
Success charge: 45.2% (thirteenth)

Passing offense

Whole touchdowns: 24 (twelfth)
First downs per recreation: 9.9 (twenty seventh)
Yards per recreation: 187.9 (twenty ninth)
Yards per try: 7.9 (seventh)
EPA per play: 0.13 (eighth)
Success charge: 47.7% (14th)

Speeding offense

Whole touchdowns: 29 (tied 2nd)
First downs per recreation: 9.6 (1st)
Yards per recreation: 179.3 (2nd)
Yards per try: 4.9 (fifth)
EPA per play: 0.09 (4th)
Success charge: 42.8% (ninth)

Quotes

How will Kellen Moore’s offense look because the Eagles’ season begins?

Will Grier talking to Brooks Kubena (The Athletic, September 2024)

“He’s not going to, on third down, break the huddle with 15 seconds left and put you in dropback against Wink Martindale or whoever and you’ve got to try to figure out protections and all that with the play clock running down… …He’s going to find some easy completions. The play-action game is going to complement the run game. He’s going to use mixed tempos so the defense can’t always sub and refresh and run in different packages and different looks and stuff like that. And I just think it’s because he sees it from a quarterback’s view.”

Eagles’ A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith like freedom of Kellen Moore’s new offense for vast receivers

Jalen Hurts talking to Jeff Kerr (CBS Sports activities, June 2024)

“I love the dynamic being put in place in terms of everybody has a role and that’s the goal, I think, for everybody to do their job… …That goes for everyone. So, just learning as much as I can from them, coach, and Kellen is kind of a mild-mannered person, where he’s laid back, kind of bigger picture, has his hands on pretty much everything. Just the conversations of learning, they’ve been around a good minute now and got great experience in it, and calling the plays and coaching quarterbacks. I’m just there listening and taking in that knowledge.”

Eagles’ Kellen Moore returns to Dallas, nonetheless a PowerPoint wiz and meticulous whisperer of offenses

Jon Kitna talking to Brooks Kubena (The Athletic, November 2024)

“What you don’t like as a quarterback is gray area… …You want to know what your answers are. You want it to be black and white. I thought Kellen just constantly did a good job of that. … The job is to give answers to that guy that’s pulling the trigger back there. You don’t want him standing back there without answers for anything that comes up.”

Obvious Pluses

The #Eagles‘ efficient use of tempo on offense has been a constant theme this 12 months and has flown a bit beneath the radar. (I believe the Chip years made us overlook that it is not regular for NFL groups to make use of this a lot tempo.) pic.twitter.com/dXTCOswZg6

— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) January 3, 2025

Kellen Moore has compiled seven seasons as a coach within the NFL, six of them as an offensive coordinator. Exterior of some unbelievable statistical output, notably throughout his time with the Cowboys, it’s fairly clear that he’s nicely revered all through the league. His relationships with quarterbacks is especially evident, as you’d anticipate from a former sign caller. The extent of effort he goes to in making a QB-friendly offense is apparent merely from the quotes above. And, the injury-riddled season with the Chargers apart, his method to offense has persistently been rewarded with yards, touchdowns, and wins.
Moore also needs to be credited along with his capacity to adapt to the expertise he has to work with. Jalen Hurts isn’t any slouch as a quarterback, however Moore inherited an offense in Philadelphia that was undoubtedly a run-first unit. Relatively than attempt to change what he had to slot in along with his beforehand profitable blueprint, he leant into the expertise and created an offense that allowed Saquon Barkley to surpass 2,000 yards. The Eagles have a protection that’s the envy of the league, however their offense has pulled its weight too, residing within the high ten in nearly each statistical class.
Ought to Moore find yourself in Duval County, his dedication to the no-huddle offense ought to assist put Trevor Lawrence in additional advantageous conditions. And while I wouldn’t anticipate the ‘Tush Push’ to return to Jacksonville, I believe the Jaguars devoted would recognize a extra inventive method to offense that ought to permit younger expertise like Brian Thomas to thrive.

Lingering Questions

Greatest takeaways after watching the A-22 on the Eagles passing offense is:

1. Kellen Moore is a bland play-caller*by no means met a hitch he didn’t love. Tons of out routes. Doesn’t make it straightforward on Hurts

2. Jalen Hurts has some clear flip downs and is making issues harder pic.twitter.com/0Crv3mht9p

— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) December 9, 2024

As with lots of the huge title candidates on this hiring cycle, Kellen Moore has zero head teaching expertise – at any stage. In reality, out of the ten names the Jaguars have requested to talk to, solely 4 of them have a historical past of being within the huge chair. That’s to not say that have is a prerequisite for achievement, however it does introduce an unknown into the equation; all we learn about Kellen Moore is that he’s adept at developing and working an offense. As a head coach, that’s not even half of the job.
Exterior of that greatest query mark, Moore’s physique of labor as an NFL coach is nice, however not impeccable. He has been criticised now and again for his consciousness in relation to situational soccer, with play selection and clock administration within the pink zone a specific situation for some Cowboys followers. Contemplating the Jaguars devoted have been lower than enamoured with Press Taylor’s resolution making, this might show to be a sticking level. There have been additionally strategies his penchant for play motion typically uncovered Dak Prescott to pointless punishment – once more a bone of competition in Jacksonville given Trevor Lawrence’s damage this season.
Different frustrations when in Dallas stemmed from an ineffective floor recreation, with questions on blocking schemes. However it is just truthful to level out that none of those considerations have adopted him to Philadelphia, the place the Eagles boast some of the harmful dashing assaults within the league. Whether or not that’s right down to Moore’s progress as a coach or the extent of expertise at his disposal is a good query – as with all head teaching candidates, will probably be as much as Moore to persuade Shad Khan that his upside outweighs any potential considerations.

Jaguars followers, how do you are feeling about Moore? Tell us within the feedback!