Yannick Ngakoue, Dante Fowler should benefit from free agent signings
By Daniel Lago
Dante Fowler Jr. didn’t have a productive rookie season rushing the passer, but some moves made in free agency should help him out quite a bit.
Despite missing his entire rookie season thanks to a disastrous knee injury in his first rookie minicamp practice, expectations were high for defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. in 2016. Fair or not, Fowler carried the burden of being the 3rd overall pick in a rather loaded draft, and his performance in offseason practices indicated the violent edge rusher might make a big impact in his first season.
Instead, Fowler struggled to be a consistent pass rusher and was far outshined by 3rd round rookie Yannick Ngakoue. Some are already out on Fowler as a pure edge rusher and want to move him to SAM linebacker, but the young defender should get another shot to work on his craft this year.
Ryan Smith over at Pro Football Focus went over the players/groups who should benefit the most from the signings made over the last week, and he mentioned the somewhat disappointing Jaguars edge defender.
"7. Dante Fowler Jr., Edge, Jacksonville JaguarsFowler was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but missed his entire rookie season after suffering a torn ACL on his first day of mini-camp. In his first full season as a starter, Fowler graded out well against the run, but struggled as a pass-rusher, registering just four sacks on the year.More from Jacksonville Jaguars NewsThe Jaguars may look for edge rushers with pick 24NFL free agency felt like a NFL free agency felt like a whirlwind for Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram in 2022 in 2022Jacksonville Jaguars in position to let RT Jawaan Taylor hit free agency in 2023Jaguars GM Trent Baalke hopes HC Doug Pederson has trust in himReport: Jacksonville Jaguars ready to use franchise tag to keep Evan Engram if neededThere is plenty of reason to believe Fowler will have a much better 2017, aside from the fact he will be two full years removed from a major injury. The Jaguars made two significant moves in free agency that should help Fowler’s progression as a player in defensive lineman Calais Campbell and cornerback A.J. Bouye.Campbell (90.4) and Bouye (90.9) ranked second and third at their respective positions in 2016. In the case of Campbell, he will be paired inside with defensive tackle Malik Jackson (84.0), making it likely that Fowler will see a lot of one-on-one matchups off the edge. Bouye will team with rookie standout Jalen Ramsey (who was the top graded corner in the league Weeks 13-17) to present matchup problems on the outside, making a formidable pass-rush more likely for Fowler and company."
This same exact rationale could (and quite frankly should) be applied to Yannick Ngakoue, as he was starting over Fowler for the majority of the 2016 season. It just goes to show how far a first round pedigree will carry you, even if you get outproduced by the teammate right next to you.
Still, PFF having such an optimistic outlook for Fowler’s second season is promising. The logic is also sound, as better coverage in the back end should help the pass rushers get home.
While it would be silly to expect Fowler to become a solid pass rusher (we’ve seen nothing to indicate he will get there anytime soon), the moves made in free agency certainly help him.