Doug Pederson has elevated the Jacksonville Jaguars offense into modern era of football

Since the start of the franchise in 1995, the Jaguars have hired 14 different offensive coordinators. Over 27 years, the team's offense hadn't evolved much, certainly not to the level that offenses across the league have. 

This year, though, it's different.

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Under Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, the Jacksonville offense currently ranks No. 12 in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), a metric that essentially ranks offenses compared with the league average based on given situations.

As explained by Football Outsiders: 

Five yards on third-and-4 are worth more than five yards on first-and-10 and much more than five yards on third-and-12. Red zone plays are worth more than other plays.

Through four games, the Jaguars have scored an average of 26.3 points per game, ranking seventh in the league. Their passing offense ranks eighth in pass DVOA, while the Baltimore Ravens rank first, according to Football Outsiders.

Though the Jacksonville rushing offense hasn't taken off this year, the team still ranks 17th in rushing YPG with 110.3 with their rushing yards per attempt at just 4.0 on the year. It's their passing attack, though, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence that has started to take off. 

Lawrence currently ranks 11th in the NFL in QBR with a rating of 58.8. He has thrown eight touchdowns and just two interceptions compared to his 12-17 split last season. He's completed 65.7 percent of his passes. 

Pre-snap motion has elevated Jaguars offense, puts stress on defenses

Much of his success can be credited to not just his work ethic and abilities as a passer, but also Pederson and the other coaches around him such as offensive coordinator Press Taylor and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy. 

Part of the reason for the team and Lawrence's success is that the team has elevated its offense into the modern era, utilizing pre-snap motion. Through two weeks of the season, the team ranked fourth in pre-snap motion at 62.8 percent, according to ESPN's Seth Walder.

As of Week 4, the team is using pre-snap motion around 60% of snaps, while in 2021 for example, they ranked near the bottom of the league in pre-snap motion at around 40% — a significant change. 

By using motion, the Jaguars have the ability to manipulate an opposing defense. That gives them an opportunity to better assess what could transpire, whether a defense is playing in man or zone coverage. 

“If you can dress something up, make it look a certain way, you can formation and get someone open just by confusing the defense, that’s where you want to be, to have those plays," Lawrence said on Wednesday. "We kind of fooled them, get them out in space, guys uncovered or a guy is five yards away, let him go make a play."

Instead of trying to throw into tight windows as a QB, and work through one-on-ones as a receiver, the Jaguars have a knack for getting guys open. 

"I think our staff has done a really good job of finding those week-in and week-out, and I think that’s showing up a lot for us.”

Offensive playmakers make it easier for Jaguars

Part of why the Jaguars have been able to utilize motion to the extent they have is because of how versatile the players themselves are, particularly receivers Christian Kirk and Jamal Agnew. Both have been utilized in a variety of ways, including motioning in and out of the offensive backfield to run routes. 

Kirk currently leads the Jaguars in all receiving categories with 20 receptions for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Among players with at least 10 catches this season, Kirk ranks ninth in yards per reception with 16.4 YPR. He's being utilized unlike he has in the past as a member for the Arizona Cardinals for the past four years.

"Press [Taylor] and Doug [Pederson], they do such a great job moving me around and each week there's a little new wrinkle whether it's a formation or I'm going into the backfield," Kirk said in the locker room on Wednesday. "They always find a way, I think, defenses are starting to key a little more on it and we're starting to take advantage." 

Now that Jacksonville has showcased this year's offense to the league on multiple occasions, opposing defenses are forced to account for a player like Kirk out of the backfield or motioning wherever he does. 

"They're just going to keep developing ways and I'm going to trust in them and put them in good positions to be successful." 

Those type of plays excited playmakers on offense, but it also goes back to having the personnel in order to execute it. 

"They’re great with the ball in their hands, they run great routes, have a lot of speed downfield. When you have guys that can do a lot of different things and you can put them in different positions, that’s the key," Lawrence said of Kirk and Agnew.

"When you can move everybody around and no two things look the same. It might be the same play that you come back to, but you can make it look completely different. I think that’s obviously important.”

Agnew has been the most-recent Jaguars playmaker to get in on the action, catching four passes for 50 yards and two touchdowns last Sunday.

"It (pre-snap motion) kind of helps dictate where we need to get the ball out. It kind of gets them out of disguises and kind of shows what kind of coverage they're gonna use," Agnew said in the locker room Thursday.

"We put everybody in motion. We put myself, put Christian [Kirk] in motion, put Zay [Jones] in motion, Travis [Etienne], running backs, [running back JaMycal] Hasty, it doesn't matter, but it just does so much. One little movement just does so much to the defense."

This week, Jacksonville will face off against the Houston Texans, coached by one of the most veteran defensive coordinators, Lovie Smith. He understands that pre-snap motion is typically a way for an offense to create deception, something his defense will have to watch out for this week.

"It puts quite a bit (of stress on a defense), but I think that's the modern-day NFL offense and there are different versions of it each week," Smith told the Jaguars media Wednesday.

"They (the Jaguars) probably use a little bit more motions and jet motion before the snap. That's kind of what we're defending each week. And you have to be on top of your game defensively."

Expect a lot of motion on Sunday, especially as the team looks to get to 3-2 and extend its lead within the AFC South.

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