Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
The latest quarterback to join the $50 million per year club, Trevor Lawrence bears the brunt of expectations that face the Jaguars in 2024. But it’s actually the other side of the ball that will lead Jacksonville this season.
The defensive line is the team’s biggest strength. Its play will be a major factor in whether the Jags can reclaim the AFC South, won by the Houston Texans last year.
Led by Pro Bowl outside linebacker Josh Allen — whose five-year, $141.25 million extension earlier this offseason was the richest contract in franchise history before Lawrence topped it this month — and former No. 1 pick Travon Walker, Jacksonville should have one of the league’s top pass-rushing units. Allen and Walker led all NFL duos last season with 27.5 sacks.
New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen has discussed moving the tandem around, presenting different looks to opposing offenses.
“We’re going to put the player in a position that he can have success first, over the scheme,” Nielsen said of his philosophy. “We’ll manipulate the front, covers and things that we’re doing to put our guys in the best matchups for them and then ultimately play our best defense and win games.”
In free agency, the Jags added veteran defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who has 33.5 career sacks, 43 tackles for loss and 88 quarterback hits. The 6-foot-7, 290-pound Armstead gives the team a third top-end defensive lineman, one whose interior rushing ability complements Allen and Walker on the edge.
Jacksonville has strong depth behind the Allen-Walker-Armstead trio, too.
Coach Doug Pederson said during the offseason program that nose tackle DaVon Hamilton, who played just two games last season after battling a non-football related back issue, looks like his 2022 version, which earned him a three-year, $34.5 million deal in April 2023.
The Jaguars also bolstered their depth up front, using three of their…
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Publish date : 2024-06-27 17:36:06
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