There's no doubt that Calais Campbell was a defensive game-changer for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2010s. Heck, he's one of the most dominant players in franchise history, so when he speaks, fans listen. He recently had something to say about former teammate Josh Hines-Allen.
Hines-Allen has made it clear that he has his sights set on winning the Defensive Player of the Year award and leading the league in sacks. Campbell believes he can (at least) pull off one of those.
Calais Campbell thinks Josh Hines-Allen will lead the NFL in sacks next season
Josh Hines-Allen met with the local media early in training camp. He says he got a text from the Mayor saying he will lead the NFL in sacks next season.
"I tell you, man, why not shoot for the top every year? And so for me, it's not. 'I didn't get it this year. I didn't get it yet.' So that's kind of my mentality until I'm done playing football," Hines-Allen told reporters (9:10 mark). "You know, I actually got a surprisingly great text this morning from Calais Campbell, and right before I went out to practice, man, he said, 'I love you, Josh, and you know you're gonna lead back.' For me, it's just even more validation that I'm on the right path mentally."
Hines-Allen continued, "I got peers around me that see the same thing, and I got guys that I looked up to my whole career text me out of the blue when I'm thinking about it naturally. So for me, it's just to keep pushing and keep finding things to get better in and maximize every opportunity I can."
A first-round pick of Jacksonville in 2019, Hines-Allen is the team's active sack leader. He posted a career-best 17.5 sacks in 2023 and would probably need around 20 to lead the league in 2020. Myles Garrett had a league-best 23 in 2025, and Trey Hendrickson ranked first with 17.5 the year prior.
The Jaguars would love to see Josh Hines-Allen lead the league in sacks
Since Liam Coen became the head coach, he's put an emphasis on a "we above me" approach. This is a long-winded way to say that consistency and wins are more important than individual stats. But if Josh Hines-Allen were to put up 20 sacks, the rest of the Jacksonville defense would benefit massively. But how realistic is it for the former Kentucky Wildcat to pull off the feat?
Hines-Allen has only had more than 10 sacks in a season twice in his seven-year career. On the other hand, he excels at generating pressures. He just needs to finish the plays. It would help if the rest of the defensive line could also get after the quarterback. If other Jaguars don't create pressure, opposing teams can devote extra attention to neutralize Hines-Allen.
The good news is that the Jaguars added reinforcements to the defensive line in the offseason, so if Josh Hines-Allen plays like he has in past years, he could have a legitimate chance to accomplish his goal.
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