Jacksonville Jaguars Training Camp: Watching the Defense
By Jacob DeFee
As the Jacksonville Jaguars head into day four of training camp here are some things to watch on the defensive side of the ball.
Training camp is underway and the Jacksonville Jaguars have, by all accounts, looked sharp. After looking at things to watch for on offense, let’s turn our attention to the defense.
Defensive Line
The defensive line should be one of the strongest units on the team. There are many talented players on the line with depth at each position.
The biggest thing to watch is the different rotations the Jaguars use. The base package figures to be Calais Campbell/Malik Jackson/Abry Jones/Yannick Ngakoue but it gets interesting when thinking about what the line will look like on passing downs. Will we see a decrease in reps for Dante Fowler Jr. after his recent misdemeanor charge? On passing downs the Jaguars’ front four looks quite scary with the lineup potentially being Fowler/Campbell/Jackson/Ngakoue with rookie Dawuane Smoot rotating in as well.
Linebacker
The hot topic on defense this offseason has been second year pro Myles Jack’s move to middle linebacker. Everyone is still waiting to see how he will handle this transition as well as how former MLB Paul Posluszny will handle his transition outside. If they can handle their transition well the Jaguars’ should have three solid starters at the linebacker position. So far, some reports on Jack’s play have not been altogether promising.
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Secondary
This should be another big strength of the team. The Jaguars have two potential top-10 corners in the league in Jalen Ramsey and newcomer A.J. Bouye, as well as veteran leadership at the safety position in Tashaun Gipson and Barry Church. Look for the secondary to cause more turnovers and make more plays than last year as this will be a huge focus in training camp.
The only story line to really watch in the secondary is how much depth the Jaguars have at these positions. Outside of nickel back Aaron Colvin, and safety Peyton Thompson, there aren’t a lot of players with much playing experience so it will be interesting to see what the Jaguars do to get these young players up to speed.
Did we miss anything you’d like to watch for in camp? Let us know!