Jaguars defensive staples just got ringing endorsement with latest restructures

The Jacksonville Jaguars are heading for a must-win battle against the Houston Texans in Week 10. It's not only a chance for the Jaguars to continue their momentum after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders, it's a divisional matchup that can put the Jaguars one step closer towards winning the AFC South... or one step further behind.

Currently, the Indianapolis Colts are leading, those they are coming off a loss, and DeForest Buckner — one of their major defensive leaders — just landed on injured reserve. With a second Colts loss and another Jaguars win, Jacksonville would be poised to make a playoff run.

With this pressure in mind, the Jaguars will need to see the return of Strapsonville. Earlier in the season, the Jacksonville defense was doing incredibly well but fell off in recent weeks. Signs are looking good, with the return of linebacker Devin Lloyd, and other key leaders on defense will certainly step up to the plate, too. And the Jags front office is making sure they don't go anywhere.

The Jaguars show trust in DaVon Hamilton and Foyesade Oluokun

The Jaguars have reportedly restructured two contracts, for linebacker Foyesade Oluokun and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton. This will create more salary cap space, but more importantly, it also signals that they intend to keep them around. Both players are major defensive cogs, and will have a big impact the rest of this season and beyond.

Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile recently mentioned that Hamilton is a major part of his unit's success. "He does a lot of the dirty work. He plays double teams all day, and he plays them as good as anybody I've been around. He's as good as anybody we've had, and he gives us the opportunity to do that and play with depth to the defense because that guy's able to two-gap people," he said. "That really comes down to selflessness."

In case you missed it, it was Ham who essentially won the Raiders game for the Jaguars in the final overtime play.

Oluokun, meanwhile, is one of the best linebackers in the league and has repeatedly been one of the top leaders in tackles. So far this season, he's registered double-digit tackles in three games, including in Jacksonville's recent victory over Las Vegas.

Both of these players are a huge part of the defense's success earlier this season, and hopefully, they will continue that trend this Sunday against the Texans. Oluokun is perhaps the flashier, more obvious star, but Hamilton has proven to be a quiet asset as well.

And the Jaguars clearly understand there is a need for them both, as these new, restructured contracts make it clear that James Gladstone and the rest of the Jacksonville staff don't want to see them leaving town anytime soon.