The Jacksonville Jaguars must revamp their defensive line.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are entering the 2021 offseason with plenty of holes to fill. It’s almost a given they will use the first overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft to take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but what about the rest of the roster? After all, the team is more than just one signal-caller away from contending and need to add talent to most position groups, including the interior defensive line.
The Jaguars drafted DaVon Hamilton in the third round of last year’s draft. He made his way into the starting lineup and was arguably the team’s best defensive tackle before a knee injury ended his 2020 season prematurely. Even if he’s fully healthy, which he will likely be, the Jaguars need to add reinforcements to their front four.
Undrafted free agent defensive tackle Doug Costin also started nine games for Jacksonville this past season and should be even better in year two. Nevertheless, the team needs depth. Taven Bryan hasn’t turned out into the player the ‘Jags’ expected when they made him a first-round pick in 2018 and they could use this opportunity to bring in an impact player to take his place.
Free agency won’t offer many options, but there are a few defensive tackles worth a look, here are the best three.
Larry Ogunjobi can add depth to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive line.
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi isn’t a top-tier free agent, but he’s been pretty solid for the Cleveland Browns since they made him a third-round pick in 2017’s draft. The Charlotte standout has started 46 games in the last three seasons and has recorded 14.5 sacks, 180 tackles (29 for a loss), and one forced fumble in his career.
Ogunjobi may not garner as much attention as fellow defensive linemen Oliver Vernon and Myles Garret, but he’s been a key cog in the Browns defense. The Good Guy award winner isn’t a superstar but is one of those contributors every team needs. While the Jaguars may make a couple of impact signings, they will make others that won’t make as much noise.
Ogunjobi has played on 70 percent of the team’s total snaps on defense in two of the last three seasons, and could quickly join Jacksonville’s defensive line rotation. Even though he won’t be a big-name free agent, he will get plenty of interest in the offseason, and the ‘Jags’ should kick the tires on him.
The Jacksonville Jaguars could add this underrated defensive tackle.
Shelby Harris has come a long way since the Las Vegas Raiders used a seventh-round pick in 2014 to draft him. After two seasons with the Silver and Black, he joined the Denver Broncos in 2016. Even though he didn’t have a prominent role in their defense in his first two years in Denver, he’s seen his playing time increase these past two seasons and has started 27 games in that span.
In 2020, Harris had 32 total tackles (four for a loss), 2.5 sacks, and seven pass deflections. He missed five games after testing positive for COVID-19, but he picked up where he left off and played on at least 50 percent of the team’s total snaps on defense in the last four weeks of the season before suffering a knee injury in Week 16.
Harris finished the year with the 2020 season with an 88.3 Pro Football Focus overall grade, the second-best in the last three years. At the time of writing, it’s uncertain how severe his knee injury was but there hasn’t been news about a potential offseason surgery. If he’s healthy or as close as he can be, the Jaguars should take a look.
Leonard Williams could solidify the Jacksonville Jaguars front four.
The New York Jets used the sixth overall selection in 2015’s draft to take defensive tackle Leonard Williams. Although he wasn’t necessarily a bust early in his NFL and even made the Pro Bowl in 2016, he wasn’t an All-Pro either, and after four years and eight games, the Jets traded him to the New York Giants in 2019.
Giants general manager Dave Gettleman liked what he saw in Williams and placed the franchise tag on him after the 2019 season. The defensive tackle is set to become a free agent unless the ‘G-Men’ tag him again. If Williams hits the open market, the demand for his services will be high.
In 2020, the six-foot-five standout registered 57 total tackles, (14 for a loss), 11.5 sacks, and 30 quarterback hits. Moreover, he earned a 79.8 Pro Football Focus grade in the season, and an 82.6 mark against the run this past season. On the other hand, the Jaguars should proceed with caution. Williams has registered more than ten sacks in a season once and it’s uncertain whether he can repeat the feat in 2021.
Williams will ask for market compensation in free agency and the ‘Jags’ have enough money in the bank to sign him. They will have to decide if they want to allocate a big chunk of their cap space to one player. It may be worth it in the long run, but they have to think it through before pulling the trigger.