Jaguars DE Dawuane Smoot’s injury paves the way for K’Lavon Chaisson

Injuries are the one thing football players could do without. But they’re an inherent part of the sport and there’s not much that clubs can do but prepare for them. With defensive end Dawuane Smoot suffering an Achilles injury that cut his injury short, someone must step up for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that someone could be former first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson. Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell told the local media Thursday that Chaisson and rookie D’Shaan Dixon could help lessen the void left by Smoot.

“There’s a bunch of guys that will have the opportunity”, Caldwell said. “Could be Dixon, definitely K’Lavon will have an opportunity. Whoever we have like we say, next man up will have the opportunity”.

Caldwell argues that Chaisson is still the same talented player he was coming out of college. But it’s now up to him to become the difference-maker the Jaguars thought they were getting when they drafted him 20th overall in 2020.

“I see the talent. You see the speed, you see the size. He can drop in coverage, he can rush the passer, so there’s so much ability there; you can see why he was drafted there. It’s just time for him to become the players he was in college, become that player now”, Caldwell said.

Chaisson appeared in 38 games with 11 starts in his NFL career. He’s registered a total of two sacks and 55 total tackles in that span. This season, he’s played seven games with no starts and logged five total tackles. Here’s Caldwell’s whole exchange with the media.

K’Lavon Chaisson gets another chance to impress the Jaguars’ brass

When a player gets hurt, it opens a door opens for another to take his place. Chaisson has certainly not lived up to his draft billing. Before landing on the Injured Reserve with a meniscus earlier this year, he had progressively gotten less playing time and things weren’t much different last year even though there was a different regime in place.

In Chaisson’s defense, he’s experienced plenty of turnover in his young career. He has played for three different head coaches and has often been asked to play different positions. He rushed the quarterback from a two-point stance in college but was asked to play in his hand on the ground in his rookie season. The former LSU Tiger lined up in his more familiar standup position last season but it didn’t lead to better results. Then, the Jags took Travon Walker in this year’s draft, which pushed Chaisson into a reserve role.

Of course, Chaisson must shoulder some of the blame. Even without continuity, he should have been able to make strides or at least show flashes. That hasn’t been the case, which is why he finds himself in the position he’s in.

Chaisson still has one year left on his rookie deal but it’s hard to know at this point if he’s part of the Jaguars’ long-term plans. He’s got the last two games to make an impression and give management something to think about before the offseason kicks in.