ClutchPoints
Three months after being fired from the Chicago Bears, Shane Waldron is back in the NFL. Recently hired Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is bringing the former offensive coordinator onto his coaching staff.
Waldron will likely join the Jaguars as Coen’s passing game coordinator, according to Jeremy Fowler. The two coaches previously worked together on Sean McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Rams from 2018 to 2020. Coen then worked as the wide receivers and quarterbacks coach while Waldron served as the passing game coordinator.
Coen is also hiring Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end coach John Van Dam as a passing game specialist, per Ian Rapoport. Van Dam, Rapoport noted, is the first former Buccaneers coach Coen will hire. If both Fowler and Rapoport are correct, Waldron and Van Dam will work closely together in similar roles.
Waldron was in his first year as Matt Eberflus’ offensive coordinator when he was cut loose on Nov. 12, two days after the Bears’ embarrassing 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots. Chicago’s offense ranked near the bottom of the league at the time of his firing while allowing the most sacks in the NFL to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Before joining the Bears, Waldron was the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023. He was more successful in that role and was widely praised for Geno Smith’s surprising career resurgence.
Since accepting the Jaguars’ head coaching position, Coen has filled out a bulk of his coaching staff with first-year coordinators and assistants. Coen will be a first-year head coach himself after shockingly accepting the deal just days after re-signing with the Buccaneers.
One of Coen’s first hires was Green Bay Packers assistant Anthony Campanile, whom he hired as defensive coordinator. In 2024, Campanile served as the Packers’ linebackers coach and running game coordinator.
While it took Coen slightly longer to find an offensive coordinator, he eventually hired Grant Udinski from the Minnesota Vikings. Udinski, 29, is the second-youngest coordinator in the league, only older than the Bears’ Declan Doyle.
So far, most of Coen’s early coaching staff lack experience in their current roles. While Campanile is several years older than Coen and Udinski, he has just five years of NFL experience and none as a defensive coordinator.
One of the few Jaguars coaches Coen retained was special teams coordinator Heath Farwell. Shortly after Coen’s hiring, Farwell agreed to an extension with Jacksonville ahead of his fourth season with the team.
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