Jaguars

Offense

Wow. It’s frustrating they have the same needs as last season: defensive end and a secondary receiver. But look for them to be involved, especially in the John Abraham sweepstakes.

It would be very surprising to see Del Rio leave the program he’s effectively built in Jacksonville. But maybe he can squeeze a pay raise out of the attention.

Tim Tebow’s eye-opening performance in Sunday’s upset will only push McCoy’s stock higher. He was already a hot name after revamping the Broncos’ offense to fit Tebow. It’s unclear if the Jags will wait until Denver’s playoff run is over to have a sit-down with McCoy.

The timing is a surprise since Mularkey didn’t interview until Tuesday, but he’s been viewed as the favorite for the job since the regular season ended. Atlanta’s offensive boss since 2008, Mularkey oversaw the development of Matt Ryan, and fielded a top-10 scoring offense three of the past four years. He served as head coach of the Bills from 2004-05. Mularkey faces a monumental challenge in turning Blaine Gabbert from the NFL’s worst quarterback to an acceptable signal caller of the future. The Falcons have now lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators since Sunday’s 24-2 Wild Card loss to the Giants. Mularkey’s offense did not score a point in the defeat.

Mularkey’s stock took a hit when his offense failed to score a point in Sunday’s Wild Card round loss to the Giants, but the Jags have eyeballed him all along. It’s not out of the question that Sunday’s game enhanced Mularkey’s interest in the Jacksonville job. Atlanta is probably going to make some changes.

The Jags haven’t formally removed interim coach Mel Tucker, but the writing is on the wall. They’ve been aggressively tied to head coaching candidates on Black Monday. Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will be interviewed, and the Jaguars hope to do the same with Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Mularkey is their most experienced target so far.

Mularkey has been in charge of the Falcons’ offense since 2008 and was the head coach of the Bills from 2004-05. He’s known a a quarterback-friendly coach, something that Blaine Gabbert sorely needs. Current Jags offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is not expected back.

As one of the most creative and effective offensive minds in the game, Chudzinski could be a godsend for Blaine Gabbert. However, he may want to set his sights higher. After helping Cam Newton to a historic rookie year, “Chud” will have his pick of head coaching gigs over the next couple of years. Gabbert’s rookie-year struggles won’t make the Jacksonville job very attractive.

Schottenheimer is reportedly on the outs in New York after his offense averaged just 311.8 yards per game, but he has been a head-coaching candidate in the past. The son of longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, Brian at least has a strong pedigree. He’ll be far from a lock to land the Jags’ top job, but it’s becoming apparent he won’t be back with the Jets.

Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has taken over as interim coach, but there has been little buzz that he could continue with the job next season. Sherman hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2005, and Mularkey is currently holding the reins of a disappointing Falcons offense. Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and former Titans coach Jeff Fisher have also been mentioned.