JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars fired defensive coordinator Bob Babich on Tuesday afternoon after three seasons in which the defense made little to no improvement.
The Jaguars gave up the second-most points in franchise history (448) this season, and three of the five worst scoring defenses in team history have occurred under Babich. The Jaguars gave up a franchise-record 449 points in Babich's first season (2013), and the 412 points allowed in 2014 were the fifth worst in team history.
During Babich's tenure, the Jaguars' defense recorded the fewest interceptions in the NFL (26) and ranked second worst in scoring defense (27.3 points per game), second worst in third-down defense (43.8 percent) and fourth worst in total defense (375 yards per game).
The Jaguars were hurt this season by injuries to first-round pick Dante Fowler Jr. (torn ACL) and defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks, the defense's best player.
Marks led the team with 8.5 sacks in 2014 but tore his right ACL in the season finale and missed the first five games of the 2015 season. He played in the next four and was starting to return to the same level at which he played in '14 when he suffered a torn triceps and was placed on injured reserve.
The defense's biggest issue was a lack of a pass rush. The Jaguars did have 36 sacks, but only seven came from pass-rushing ends Andre Branch and Chris Clemons.
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley and Babich have a long relationship that dates back nearly 20 years. Babich hired Bradley as an assistant coach at North Dakota State in 1997, and the two worked together there for six seasons.
