Jacksonville Jaguars: Five Players Who Must Step Up in 2015
By Luke Sims
Nov 30, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Chris Clemons (91) celebrates after receiving a fumble during the fourth quarter against New York Giants at EverBank Field. The Jaguars won 25-24. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Clemons, Defensive End/LEO Pass Rusher
Brought over from the Seattle Seahawks to be the LEO pass rusher that Gus Bradley needed in his defense, Chris Clemons proved to mostly be a disappointment in 2014. Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the 33rd best pass rusher by pass rush productivity (among 4-3 defensive ends with at least 50% of snaps) for the 2014 season. This was a continued trend after dropping from 12th in 2012 to 18th in 2013 and finally down to 33rd among 4-3 defensive ends.
Entering his 11th season in the NFL, Clemons must hold out as a serviceable pass rusher for at least one more season. 2015 third overall pick Dante Fowler Jr. tore his ACL during the rookie minicamp this past weekend, leaving the LEO position relatively thin with Clemons and Andre Branch as the leaders. Branch has never lived up to his potential after being a second round pick in former GM Gene Smith’s regime. Clemons, meanwhile, has proven to be a reliable pass rusher before and needs to get back to form.
2015 will be an odd season at the LEO position, with Fowler waiting in the wings for 2016. If Clemons hopes to keep his job beyond this next season, he’ll need to prove it in 2015. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him lose snaps to Branch throughout the year, but it would be ideal if Clemons could prove that time isn’t passing him by and he can still be a productive veteran and leader of a young team. If we expand PFF’s parameters to include 4-3 defensive ends with just 25% of defensive snaps or more, Clemons drops to 47th of 56 and is two behind Branch.
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