Jacksonville Jaguars: Don’t be concerned about Dante Fowler Jr.
By Luke Sims
Jacksonville Jaguars young defensive stud Dante Fowler Jr. may not live up to expectations all the time, but it’s not time to worry.
Dante Fowler Jr. is poised to be a primary contributor for the Jacksonville Jaguars and there is – rightfully – a significant amount of pressure on him to perform. After seeing what the pass rush looked like without him in 2015, it’s safe to say the Jags need him to step up.
So with the preseason in full swing and Fowler not exactly dominating the competition or the stat sheet, it’s fair to wonder if he can actually deliver. It’s fair to take a more active interest in seeing whether he can succeed on this team.
Yet the concern shouldn’t dominate the conversation to this point. Jags team writer John Oehser wisely offers up some reason to temper the worry in his latest O-Zone piece:
"The current angst centers around his lack of pressure in a couple of practices and some limited preseason game action. It’s not that Fowler’s not showing the athleticism he showed early and it’s not that he’s not giving effort. It’s also not that he’s getting stonewalled for long stretches of the regular season. He’s a young pass rusher who has been neutralized a couple of times in the preseason by experienced veterans. That happens in the NFL. Many, many young pass rushers have had low sack numbers in their first season before they figure out the nuances/details needed to be big-time pass rushers. There’s no reason to think Fowler won’t figure out the NFL, and there’s no reason to panic if there are stretches this season where he’s not making SportsCenter every week. What Fowler is going through right now is normal. The surprise would be if it was playing out any other way."
This is particularly true as we assess Fowler. After a rookie season sitting the bench due to injury, it isn’t necessarily fair to expect him to come out and be a super effective second-year guy. He hasn’t adjusted to the speed of the game yet, he’s still figuring it out.
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Becoming a dominant defensive player takes time. Watching tape, developing a skill set, and executing on each and every down is a process more than it is an immediate achievement. There’s a very real learning curve in the NFL and young players must adapt their game to compensate.
That adaptation will be watched closely for Fowler. There is a lot of hope pinned on him specifically and he’s the subject of much attention as a result. Still, this doesn’t mean we should put undue scrutiny into each time he can’t get past his guy. We shouldn’t worry simply because he isn’t all over the stat sheet.
First and foremost, Fowler is an investment in the future for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s expected to perform eventually, maybe not immediately. He has the skill set to do it, so let’s watch closely to see how he develops going forward without all of the angst highlighted by Oehser.