Report: Jaguars interested in Ravens defensive pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt

The Jaguars have not yet officially hired any other coaches to join head coach Urban Meyer, however, they have been connected to several coaches at both the collegiate and pro level. Today, according to a report from The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, the Jaguars have expressed interest in Baltimore Ravens defensive pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt.

Hewitt is the second Ravens’ coach the Jaguars have reportedly been interested in; they’ve also expressed interest and have spoken to defensive line coach Joe Cullen. It is expected that if Cullen was hired he’d likely become the team’s defensive line coach with an upgraded title.

Hewitt, 46, was promoted to defensive pass game coordinator just last season, and previously spent time in Baltimore as the team’s defensive backs coach from 2014-19. Hewitt also has a background in special teams, working with the unit with the Ravens early in his tenure in 2013-14.

In 2020, the Ravens ranked sixth in the NFL in pass defense, allowing just 215.7 yards per game. The team featured talented cornerbacks such as Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey, who have become dominant defensive backs during their time in Baltimore.

Hewitt is unafraid to utilize his defensive backs to get the most out of their ability, either.

“The way that we play in our secondary, we have a lot of guys who do a lot of interchangeable things,” Hewitt said during a preseason press conference in Baltimore.

“We move guys around, whether it’s a guy playing corner, a guy playing nickel, or a guy playing safety. We’re going to optimize our looks as far as matchups are concerned. So, if there’s a reason for using Jimmy at safety, we’ll do that. Whether its versus a tight end or a bigger wide receiver, whatever it is, we’ll use him in that fashion. We’ll continue to keep on moving him around, and he’s embraced that role. I’m proud of what he’s done so far.”

While the Jaguars secondary has excelled at times under defensive coordinator Todd Wash, creativity has long evaded the franchise, simply relying on talent alone to bring success. While it can work with talents such as 2017 A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey, it doesn’t always work with lesser talents, not without excellent coaching.

Hewitt would bring a new style of secondary play to the Jaguars defense, and likely contribute to turning around a unit that has long underperformed to the standard it set during its playoff run in 2017.