4th Range DPS idea after endwalker

[Lastelli]

I think they mean gameplay wise. Yes you want at least 1 ranged and 1 caster.
But on the execution, there is no difference mechanically wise. There is no "Physical ranged mechanic", only "ranged mechanics"

The line is drawn by the mobility tools, how you execute the ranged mechanic.
And in ShB, there was no ranged mechanic that specifically required a P.Ranged to deal with it, or that it was the most optimal way.

Correct, you explained it better than I could.
What the devs formally endorse and how the game substantially plays are two different things. But even if we consider party composition, it makes the most sense to have 2 ranged and 2 melee dps. The number of available jobs (and the way they're balanced) should reflect that. And right now, we have 6 ranged dps and 4 (soon to be 5) melee dps.