2023 State of the Franchise: Jaguars Defense

Jaguars Defense Will Feature Players Nearing Their Prime, But Still Needs Holes Shored Up

The Jaguars defense was a mixed bag of results during this past season. It was a room of veteran players making huge strides while promising rookies struggled to adapt as the season rolled on. With the massive amount of cap that's tied into the defense, there will be a lot of evaluation needing to be done on which players should be considered a vital part of the future in Jacksonville.

Surprisingly, the Jaguars ranked as one of the worst passing defenses in the league despite an abundance of talented players in the secondary. Perhaps those issues could be pinned on Shaquill Griffin's massive struggles early on and the team's failure to address boundary corner until late in the season. The Jaguars also struggled to convert pressures to sacks for most of the season which obviously causes more stress on a secondary.

Where the Jaguars were at their best was stopping the run. While they fell back in the rankings as the season wore on, you have to consider the division they play in and the quality of run stoppers on the line. Perhaps the two largest problems they'll need to address are the lack of interior pressure on passing downs and their struggles to cover tight ends and slot receivers.

While the defense clearly showed some deficiencies over the season, specifically in the linebackers corps, we have to consider that many of these players will either be entering their prime or will now have a year under their belts. For Lloyd and Muma, having an offseason to improve their game will turn them into much more effective players while allowing Oluokun to focus on his job. Travon Walker could also see a massive breakout if he can develop his game before next season.

Defensive Line

While there was a lot of promise shown on the defensive line this year, this group never met the potential we were hoping to see. Josh Allen talked about wanting to be the best pass rusher in the league, but he went through a massive period of time where he couldn't put together a single sack. Travon Walker had some massive splash plays during the season, but he was often not impactful in the passing game. Pair that with an injury to Dawuane Smoot late in the season and your top pass rushers weren't nearly good enough.

The Jaguars were able to find some nice success from some of their more overlooked pieces on the defensive line. Arden Key started to step up his game late in the season with some sacks and vital pressures that forced turnover. Roy Robertson-Harris also came alive as the season came to an end and Davon Hamilton put together a fantastic season when you consider his profile as a run-stuffing nose tackle.

It would be wise to bring back many of the same players, but I could see the Jaguars moving on from Roy Robertson-Harris, K'Lavon Chaisson, and either Dawuane Smoot or Arden Key. Robertson-Harris is unfortunately under a massive contract for his production and would need a new deal to stick around. Chaisson could also be seen as a potential trade piece to free up cap room while one of the other edge rushers may not be attainable for next season.

I'd expect the Jaguars to either make a free agency splash if the money is somehow available or more likely to draft someone early on. There's quite a few promising versatile edge rushers that could fit Trent Baalke's vision for the team and one of them will most likely be available on Day 2. They could elect to draft a big name on Day 1, but there could be some other fantastic prospects they'd elect to take first.

Linebackers

Out of all the position groups on the defense, the linebackers should be the biggest improvement this team sees to the next season. Oluokun is already among the elite at the position with another season leading the NFL in tackles, but he was arguably limited by having to coach up Devin Lloyd through many of his starts. This team invested a lot of draft capital into completely revamping this position group and while it may not have been the results we wanted, the story isn't near finished for the rookies.

Once the Jaguars are able to get Devin Lloyd in a role that fits him best, preferably as a pass rusher, you'll see Lloyd take a huge step forward. Throughout the season he was a liability in coverage, especially against the Kansas City Chiefs, and while he has improved he needs to be used in another role. Remember that Devin Lloyd was a player that many had projected as a Top 10 prospect in last year's draft, so writing him off in his first season under a new defensive scheme isn't fair.

Chad Muma put together a promising season and arguably played better than Lloyd, so he's going to clearly be a part of the team's plans moving forward. With Shaquille Quarterman being a really valuable reserve player behind these guys, there's honestly no need to change anything at the position here. Simply put, the room has a ton of potential and players with undetermined verdicts. Give this group another year and with some creative play calling, they should be a bright spot in the future.

Cornerbacks

It wasn't a pretty start to the season, but this room evolved to be one of the best in the league when the season came to a close. Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams have quickly earned the status of 'lockdown cornerbacks,' so there shouldn't be any talks of changing things at the top of the depth chart. Where the problems really come in is at the slot position. Tre Herndon was the best option the team had all season, but they could easily afford to upgrade with a young prospect at that position.

One of the obvious names that has been floated around has been Brian Branch. He's a former safety that's moved to slot corner for the Crimson Tide and one of the most impactful defenders in college football. Adding a game changer at the position could be huge for a defense that's close to being really good, but they could also find that in another prospect like Clark Phillips or Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. With Shaquill Griffin being an undoubtable casualty this offseason, I would be interested in drafting a developmental corner that could play outside as well.

Safeties

The future looks great deep in the secondary. Andre Cisco was a prime breakout candidate for 2022, and he did exactly that with consistently good performances and game-changing plays. What's great is that you can say the exact same thing about Rayshawn Jenkins. Late in the season, Jenkins came to life and was the reason why the Jaguars came away with key victories against the Cowboys and Titans. The latter of those sent the Jacksonville Jaguars to the NFL Playoffs.

Even though Jenkins would offer some cap savings this offseason, the Jaguars must keep him around. Andrew Wingard has also been a clear leader despite his lack of a starting role and should be pursued as a free agent. He'll want to stay in Jacksonville, so that should be attainable. With those three players likely sticking around, the Jaguars won't need to worry about investing in this position.

Final Overview Of The Jaguars Defense Going Forward

Coaching will ultimately be the deciding factor in whether the defense takes a massive leap forward next year. The talent is here, you can't doubt that. Josh Allen should be a premier edge in the league, Travon Walker is a generational prospect, Devin Lloyd was a program changer back in college, and so many of these other players have similar praise they could get. The question is simply whether or not the players reach their potential.

If I'm in charge of the Jaguars, I would strongly consider adding another pass rusher in the first round of the draft. Having lacked so many sacks, the defense started to break down at points in the season and improvement has to be made. I would look at drafting a top prospect for the defensive line once again and pick up a corner on Day 2 that could play in the slot. Shoring up those two needs could be all this defense requires to break out in 2023. We'll have to see.

Thanks for reading, feel free to give your thoughts in the comments and any suggestions for content you want to see. Make sure to be respectful towards other fans and represent the Jaguars fan base the way it deserves.