![Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) warms up during an NFL training camp second session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_1945,h_1094/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01k16b2gpkb6f24febpd.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) warms up during an NFL training camp second session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
The Jacksonville Jaguars had trouble stopping opposing teams last year, so they reinforced the defense in the offseason. On top of that, several players who underachieved are expected to bounce back. One of them, Josh Hines-Allen, is in a position to once again wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage and reclaim his spot as one of the best pass rushers in the league because of the many tweaks the Jags have made since the end of 2024.
Hines-Allen is coming off a somewhat disappointing year. After registering a franchise-record 17 sacks in 2023, he only logged eight last year. Then again, there were many reasons for the dip in production. For starters, the former Kentucky Wildcat was asked to bulk up, which hindered his conditioning and overall performance. He's now 20 pounds lighter and back to his playing weight.
Also affecting Hines-Allen's production was the fact that the team didn't have a proper rotation on the edge last year. With Arik Armstead mostly playing defensive end, Jacksonville was vulnerable on the interior and lacked depth outside.
Armstead is back at defensive tackle, and the Jags signed Emmanuel Ogbah, Dawuane Smoot, and Dennis Gardick in the offseason. The Jaguars now have a proper edge rotation, and when you add it all up, it's easy to see Hines-Allen rebounding next season.
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What kind of production Josh Hines-Allen expect in 2025?
Josh Hines-Allen met with the local media after Day 4 of training camp and said that he post career numbers if he does everything he's supposed to.
"23 sacks, you know, that's, you know, that's the NFL record. I think all pass rushers should strive for that goal, like every team strives to win the Super Bowl," Hines-Allen responded when asked how he's approaching the possibility of breaking the franchise sack record (22:27 mark). "So I think, you know, my goal is to break the record and not really focus on it. Just know that if I handle what I need to handle, stay healthy, know what I'm doing, communicate, anticipate what's happening to me, participate, pass, and kind of be quicker on that, then everything's just going to play off where it's
supposed to."
Later in the exchange, Hines-Allen said that the pass rush is in much better shape with the return of Dawuane Smoot and Arik Armstead switching back to defensive tackle.
"I think having better edgy depth matters. I think moving Arik to the inside is also going to open us up a lot more, and I'm excited to rush with the four we got. If you put Mason [Smith] in there, amazing, gets healthy. You put Mason in there. Arik, Smooth myself, Tre, Ogbah, the rotation can kind of be endless. We can line up anywhere, but right now it's just, how do you like the rush, like me and Smooth, we know, we go, it's very natural," Hines-Allen said.
For the sake of transparency, Hines-Allen wasn't outright bad in 2024. His sack totals did decrease, but he was still bringing the heat at a high rate, ranking sixth among pass rushers in disruption rate. With the changes the Jags made throughout the offseason, he should have no trouble getting back on track.
While 23 sacks may not be realistic, nobody would bat an eye if Josh Hines-Allen ends up logging 15 next season. After all, he's shown that he's capable of doing it, and he now has a bit of help around him to pull it off.