Jaguars fire running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, bringing total dismissals to nine

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has fired nine assistants in total, including running backs coach Bernie Parmalee.

Parmalee’s exit was announced Tuesday, a day after Pederson dismissed defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and seven of his assistants on that side of the ball.

Pederson also declined to renew the expiring contract of assistant offensive line coach Todd Washington

The moves came after the biggest late-season collapse in franchise history. The Jaguars were 8-3 and atop the AFC South in late November before losing five of six games down the stretch and missing the playoffs.

Jacksonville ended the season with a 28-20 loss at Tennessee in what had become a win-and-in finale. Defense was a huge issue in that one — Derrick Henry ran for a season-high 153 yards — as well as the other five losses in December and January.

Caldwell’s unit allowed 29.2 points and 146.8 yards rushing a game in those losses.

Pederson opted against making many moves on offense, apparently blaming most of those issues on injuries to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, as well as a revolving offensive line.

But Parmalee’s position group was inconsistent all season. Jacksonville’s rushing attack ranked 24th in the NFL despite having Travis Etienne healthy for all 17 games. Etienne finished with 1,008 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. Backup Tank Bigsby, a third-round draft pick, was a non-factor in his rookie season.