Moving on from Malcom Brown benefits Jaguars young defensive tackles

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be trimming down their roster in the upcoming weeks and choose the best 53 players for the 2022 NFL season. They’ve already started to make moves and have released defensive tackle Malcom Brown. Head coach Doug Pederson spoke to the local media before Day 14 of training camp, including the training camp battle at right tackle and the reasoning behind the decision to move on from the veteran.

"We’ve got some young ascending players that really caught our attention, caught our eye. There’s some nice competition there with Isi and Jay and some of the moves we can do, so it’s a tough decision."

Pederson went on to praise Brown. He wished him nothing but the best moving forward and hopes he gets picked up by another team.

A first-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2015, Brown joined the New Orleans Saints in 2019 and was traded to Jacksonville last offseason. In his lone year with the Jags, he started all 17 games and log 57 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, and two sacks. The former Texas Longhorn has appeared in 106 games with 97 starts and registered 13.5 sacks and 304 total tackles in his seven-year NFL career. Here’s Pederson’s whole presser.

The Jaguars are pleased with DaVon Hamilton and Jay Tufele

Money certainly had a role in the decision to move on Brown, as releasing him freed up $3 million in cap space with $4.6 million in dead money. The emergence of third-year defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton and the development of Jay Tufele, a fourth-round selection in last year’s draft, also played a part.

Moreover, the Jaguars could be on the market for a defensive tackle in free agency, as John Shipley of Jaguar Report explained. Shipley points out that Jacksonville was interested in Danny Shelton before he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and mentions Adam Butler, Brandon Williams, and Ndamukong Suh as potential targets.

For the time being, Hamilton, Tufele, and Antwine are the biggest beneficiaries. Had the Jaguars’ brass not felt comfortable with the young group, they wouldn’t have gone ahead and pulled the plug on Brown. In particular, the coaching staff seems to be pleased with Hamilton, who’s gotten plenty of praise from Pederson and defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell.

The Jags made several additions to their defense in the offseason but they also expect some of their young players, such as Hamilton and Tufele, to contribute. Releasing Brown paves the way for them.