When you think about it, the Jacksonville Jaguars are always at their best when they have an absolute stud at middle linebacker. Mike Peterson in the mid-2000s and Paul Posluszny in the years leading up to the often-celebrated 2017 season are the two names that immediately come to min.; but Jacksonville's brief brushes against the walls of success during the Trevor Lawrence Era have all happened while Foyesade Oluokun was on the roster.
Since joining the Jaguars in 2022, Oluokun has been a member of two AFC South Championship teams, played in two Wild Card games at home, and contributed to three winning seasons. While he had some solid years in Atlanta, the Yale Bulldog came into his physical prime as a tackler while wearing a teal jersey, as he's led the NFL in combined tackles (2021, 2022) and solo tackles (2022, 2023) twice.
Despite his ability to always find his way to the football, Oluokun hasn't gotten the adoration that the other prolific tacklers who play is position have gotten over time. A consequence of that is people across the pro football airwaves forgetting that No. 23 is the unquestioned anchor of the Jaguars' swarming defense.
Foyesade Oluokun reminded us vs. the Browns why the Jaguars trust him
As usual, Foyesade Oluokun filled up the stat sheet during his reps against the Browns in Week 1. According to the box score, he finished with three solo tackles, a pass batted up, and an interception that he returned for 22 yards.
It might not seem like a lot on the surface, but you've got to remember that Cleveland actually didn't have a lot of plays. Despite being on the wrong side of a blowout since the middle of the first quarter, Deshaun Watson only threw 22 passes.
And, no, he wasn't benched for the sake of preservation either. Jacksonville's defense was just that good.
You may also like: 5 winners (and 2 losers) from the 34-10 win vs. the Browns
Foyesade Oluokn's leadership is what will help the Jags reach the promised land
Anthony Campanile's ability to trust his defense allowed him to stay aggressive as a play caller and disrupt a longtime veteran like Watson. Of course, it's easy to develop that kind of trust when you have one of the best field generals in the sport wearing the green dot in practice and on Sundays.
Look, it's fun to sing everyone's praises after destroying a weak opponent, but we have to realize that Jacksonville is actually the one in a vulnerable position right now.
The 2018 season was one of the most shocking collapses in NFL history. Everyone genuinely believed that Doug Marrone, Dave Caldwell, and Tom Coughlin were the brain trust that could finally deliver a consistent winner to Shad Khan and the city of Jacksonville.
Unfortunately, we all know how that ended up.
While it's easy to blame the suits for everything, the leaders in the locker room didn't help either. Now, Liam Coen has someone like Oluokun to rely on as he continues to establish a culture that believes and proves that his franchise can win with the same group of stars that let it down in the past.
It's a lofty goal, but Oluokun hasn't shied away from what's been asked of him as a leader.
So, while everyone is worried about who's gonna get paid on offense, maybe James Gladstone should be making sure that the heartbeat of his league-leading defense doesn't make it to the open market himself.
Add us as a preferred source on Google