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An Overview of the Jacksonville Jaguars Defense
The Jaguars' defense was a disaster in 2024. They were 25th versus the run, and that was the highlight. Jacksonville allowed 71 pass plays of 20+ yards, nine more than anyone else, and 14 of 40+, which was two more than anyone else. They were last versus the pass, 28th in sacks, 28th in points, and produced three fewer turnovers than anyone else. The offense was not good either, prompting a change from the general manager all the way down to the water boy.
Former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen takes over as a first-time head coach. His staff includes first-time NFL defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. I point out that both of these coaches are new to their responsibilities because it makes figuring out what to expect from them even more difficult. The general consensus is that Campanile will run a penetrating one-gap 4-3 base defense with a lot of stunts, blitzing, and deception. That said, he has been a position coach under Brian Flores, who ran a 4-3, and Vic Fangio, who is a 3-4 guy. Chances are, we will see components of both odd and even fronts.
Personnel-wise, Jacksonville had a lot of holes on both sides of the ball, and limited capital to invest. Free agency brought a few journeymen who will contribute, but no difference-makers. They picked up arguably the best corner in the draft at 1.02, but he is expected to play more offense than defense. Third-round corner Caleb Ransaw should get on the field early. The rest of Jacksonville's defensive picks are developmental guys.
The moral of this story is to start your offensive players when they face Jacksonville this year.
Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Linemen
At this time last summer, IDP managers were trying to figure out if Josh Hines-Allen's huge 2023 season was a breakout or a career outlier. After a 2024 campaign that saw the lowest production of his six years as a pro, that question is answered. Hines-Allen had 25 sacks over his first four years combined. His 17.5 in 2023 was tied for the second most in the league. The 8 he recorded last year were a return to his norm.
Allen is not a stranger to good tackle production. His career-best of 70 combined stops came in 2021. He was on a streak of three consecutive seasons with at least 57 leading up to 2024. That streak came to an end with last year's dismal 26 tackles and 19 assists.
One thing that works in Hines-Allen's favor going forward is versatility. Entering his seventh year as a pro, he has worked and had success in both even and odd fronts. Hines-Allen is as comfortable putting his hand down as working from a two-point stance. What we can deduce from a six-year sample is that reasonable expectations are around 38 tackles, 20 assists, and 8 sacks. That makes him a decent second starter or good depth with a little upside.
Jacksonville used the first pick in the draft on Travon Walker in 2022. His rookie campaign produced modest numbers of 49 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 turnovers. As one might expect from a player taken first overall, he has improved in each season since. Walker's tackle numbers were only slightly better in 2023, but he jumped in the sack column, reaching double-digits. His sack total was the same in 2024, but his tackle production bumped up by nine.
Walker was a bright spot in an otherwise dark season for Jacksonville's defense. At 31-30-10.5 with 3 turnovers, he found his way into the top ten for the first time. Dating back to his career at Georgia, Walker has never played in a 4-3, though he did see time with his hand down as an outside tackle in the Bulldogs' 3-4. While it is hard to say what effect the scheme change will have statistically, he is versatile enough to adapt on the field.
Walker is a sturdy, three-down edge who excels versus the run and can generate pressure on the passer, but he is not an elite pass rusher. The fact that he reached double-digit sacks in consecutive seasons is a big plus for his stock. At age 24, he is still getting better and could become a perennial top-twelve guy, especially if the tackle totals continue to creep up.
The Jaguars were hurting for depth on the outside in 2024. After Hines-Allen and Walker, no one at the position recorded a sack. The front office addressed that issue by signing Emmanuel Ogbah, Dennis Gardeck, and Dawuane Smoot. None of these guys will challenge for a starting job, but they are all solid veterans who can give the team quality snaps when the starters need a breather or hold down the fort if called upon for a bigger role.
There is no star power among Jacksonville's interior line, but there are good veteran players. Davon Hamilton and Arik Armstead are expected to start. Hamilton lined up at the nose tackle position in the 3-4. He is still considered a nose tackle in the 4-3, but the responsibilities and alignment are somewhat different. That might be a good thing for his IDP value, and it might not.
Hamilton is a 335-pound road grader who is formidable against the run but doesn't offer much as a pass rusher. He has four sacks over five seasons, with the last one coming in 2022. There will be no huge games from him, but Hamilton could still have some value. He was 34-28 in the tackle columns last year, including 5 stops for loss. At the shallow defensive tackle position, that was enough to land him inside the top 20. There is not much upside, but Hamilton could make a decent second starter or solid depth.
Armstead turned in 54 combine tackles, 10 sacks, and 3 turnovers for the 49ers in 2019. That was by far the most productive of his ten seasons in the league. He had another good year in 2021, going 30-33-6. Outside of those two years, his career has been rather disappointing for a former 17th overall pick. Armstead should be a good fit and has the potential to surprise from the three-technique position. He finished 21-8-2 in his first year with Jacksonville. It is safe to expect better numbers in year two, but let him show us something before devoting a valuable roster spot.
While Smoot and Ogbah could pick up some playing time as inside rushers on passing downs, second-year players Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson should move up if one of the starters is lost. Smith was a high-upside pick who has the measurables and skillset to become a disruptive force. What he did not have coming into the league was experience. He missed time at LSU with a shoulder injury in 2021 and tore his ACL in 2022. His career at LSU consisted mostly of twelve contests in 2023.
The injury bug followed him to the pros. Smith missed six games as a rookie. When he was healthy, however, he gave the organization reason for optimism. Smith totaled 16 tackles and three sacks in limited time last year. He is not expected to push for the starting job just yet, but if Armstead misses any time, it might take another injury to get Smith off the field.
- Edge Josh Hines-Allen – Decent second starter or quality depth with some upside
- Edge Travon Walker – Priority second starter with top ten potential
- Edge Emmanuel Ogbah – Injury sleeper with limited potential
- Edge Dennis Gardeck – No impact expected
- Edge Dawuane Smoot – Injury sleeper with limited upside
- DT DaVon Hamilton – Decent DT2 or good depth with marginal upside
- DT Arik Armstead – Worth keeping an eye on
- DT Maason Smith – Injury sleeper
- DT Jordan Jefferson – No impact
Jacksonville Jaguars Linebackers
Starting in 2021, Foyesade Oluokun was the fantasy game's top linebacker for three consecutive seasons. In fact, the Jaguars had placed at least one linebacker in the top ten in seven of the eight seasons leading up to 2024. So, how is it that Devin Lloyd placed 28th and Oluokun 30th last year? Look no further than the horrible coaching job.
Oluokun played 1110 of 1112 snaps in 2023. The writing was on the wall when he was on the field for less than 85% of the snaps in weeks one and two last year. He missed four games with an injury, but Oluokun saw full participation in just five of his thirteen games. It was the same for Lloyd, who saw action on less than 80% of the snaps in ten games. The nightmare is over. We can expect a return to normal in 2025.
Oluokun had triple-digit solo tackles in three straight seasons, with a monster 191 combined in 2021. He is not a one-trick pony, though. On top of the tackle totals, he had 9 sacks, 19 takeaways, and 21 pass breakups over his first four years as a starter. He is an elite-tier LB1 who could easily be right back in the mix for the top slot. It would be a bit risky to take him as the first defender off the board, but the gamble could pay off.
Despite Oluokun soaking up so many stats, Devin Lloyd managed to be relevant over the last three years. His numbers are far less impressive, but his 10.5 points per game ranked 29th as a rookie in 2022, and his 11.4 average was 22nd in 2023. He should bounce back as well, but there are other factors in play with Lloyd. The new regime elected not to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Making him a free agent at the end of this season. Then they drafted linebackers Jack Kiser in the fourth and Jalen McLeod in the sixth. These additions might be sending a message about Chad Muma as well.
Kiser played a lot of football for Notre Dame. He was a two-year starter, racking up 90 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4 turnovers as a senior. He will likely earn a paycheck on special teams in the short term but could be a starter as soon as 2026.
McLeod is listed as a linebacker. With 22.5 sacks over his college career, including 13.5 for Auburn in the last two seasons, his best shot at getting on the field could be as an extra rusher on passing downs.
- WLB Foyesade Oluokun – Elite LB1 with a touch of risk
- MLB Devin Lloyd – Target as a priority third starter with low LB2 upside
- MLB Chad Muma – No impact expected
- SLB Ventrell Miller – Injury sleeper
- MLB Jack Kiser – Dynasty stash
- SLB Jalen McLeod – developmental rookie
Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Backs
The best way to describe the Jaguars' secondary might be that it's like an offense with a roster full of second and third receivers, but no one who scares opponents. There are some good, dependable veterans and a sprinkling of young guys with upside, but no stars. That might change if the coaching staff is willing to give Travis Henry a major role. So far, it doesn't sound like that is the plan.
With Henry expected to be a receiver first and a part-time contributor on defense, Tyson Campbell is set to be the top corner. The 2021 second-round pick has been a solid starter for the team from the start. He has even been an IDP factor when healthy. That is the key for both the Jaguars and fantasy managers. Campbell simply can't stay on the field.
Campbell had a fairly quiet rookie year, missing a couple of games while recording mediocre numbers in the rest. His second season was much better. With 70 total stops, 15 passes defended, and 6 takeaways, he jumped into the top ten. Campbell came out of the gate strong in 2023 with six tackles and two turnovers in week one. From there, it was downhill. He was in and out of the lineup, missing six games and playing at less than 100% in a few more. Last year was a virtual carbon copy. He was injured in week one, missed the next five games, and was not healthy or productive until week ten.
Campbell is capable of useful box score production. He had 19 tackles, 3 assists, and 3 passes defended over the last four games in 2024. Unfortunately, he has not produced a splash play since that two-turnover game in 2023. If he can stay out of the trainer's room, Campbell should be at least a solid CB3 for us. Anything more than that would be a bonus.
Beyond Campbell, Jacksonville's corner situation is a mystery for now. We know they plan to have Hunter play some defense. How much and in what role are to be determined, but chances are, he will be a sub-package guy. The rest of the playing time is up for grabs with Montaric Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Jarrian Jones, and rookie Caleb Ransaw competing to establish a pecking order.
With Andre Cisco gone, Darnell Savage moves into the free safety spot full-time. He was a steady if unspectacular starter for the Packers before coming to Jacksonville last offseason. Savage's seven-year resume tells us clearly that he is not an IDP target. His career-best numbers were in 2022 when he was 55-20-1 with 5 turnovers and 12 passes defended for Green Bay. He has not come remotely close to those numbers since.
Antonio Johnson started the first few games at strong safety last year. He was benched in week seven. Andrew Wingard has started several games for the team over his seven seasons. All of his opportunities have come due to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. Those two will compete with Eric Murray and possibly rookie Rayuan Lane III for the strong safety job. Murray is the early favorite, but don't expect much from him. He is a rent-a-safety with backup talent who has seen plenty of opportunities over his nine seasons, capitalizing on none of them.
It has been a long time since Jacksonville gave us a quality option at safety. Considering the options they have to choose from, it could be a while longer.
- FS Darnell Savage – Marginal value at best
- SS Antonio Johnson – No impact expected
- SS Eric Murray – Marginal production expected
- SS Rayuan Lane III – Rookie to keep an eye on for the future
- FS Andrew Wingard – No impact
- CB Tyson Campbell – Decent CB2 with upside if he stays healthy
- CB Jarrian Jones – Deep sleeper
- CB Jourdan Lewis – Marginal impact
- CB Montaric Brown – Injury sleeper
- CB Travis Hunter – Unknown commodity
That's a wrap for part 15. I'll round out the AFC South next with the Titans.
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