The Jacksonville Jaguars had one of the best defenses in the NFL last year. Some of that was due to the terrifying pass-rush tandem of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. However, their pass rush failed to bring the heat in the playoff loss against the Buffalo Bills, and it's hard to tell if the team's brass did enough in the offseason to address the issue.
Although Walker and Hines-Allen are entrenched at the top of the depth chart, the rest of the rotation remains a work in progress. That's led a prominent beat writer to take a look at the state of the pass rush at Organized Team Activities.
The Jaguars need one of their young pass rushers to step up at OTAs
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated wrote that the pass rush will take center stage at Jaguars OTAs. He points out that Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen are the unquestioned starters but believes rookies Wesley Williams and sophomore Danny Striggow will be pivotal rotational pieces.
"It stands to reason that Striggow and Williams will play important roles on base downs, rotating with Hines-Allen and Walker on running downs to help keep them fresh," Shipley wrote.
On the other hand, Shipley thinks that B.J. Green II and rookie Zach Drufee will have to earn snaps throughout the offseason program.
"Green served as a sub-package pass-rusher last season, and it appears he and Durfee will have to fight to win the lion's share of snaps in that department," Shipley said. "There are a lot of snaps to replace with the departures of Dawuane Smoot and Emmanuel Ogbah, and these are the four who have to replace them.
Hines-Allen had eight sacks last year, while Walker logged 3.5 (third most on the team). Walker dealt with injuries, so nobody will bat an eye if he crosses the 10-sack mark for the third time in his career next season if he's back at full strength. That said, the Jags need another pass rusher to step up. Last year, Arik Armstead was second in sacks with five, while linebacker Dennis Gardeck was fourth with 2.0 sacks.
It's fair to say that the Jaguars will need better production from their pass rush (and their internal defensive line). This is where their young core comes in.
Both Striggow and Green made the initial 53-man roster as undrafted rookies last year. He earned playing time as 2025 progressed, and the expectation is that they'll make a leap next season. However, they could face competition from Williams and Durfee, both of whom vie for playing time.
The Jaguars need a No. 3 behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen
It seems like the Jaguars are feeling confident about their current group of pass rushers. However, it may be a while before their young players make an impact, which is why they've been urged to add external help to round out their rotation.
The Jags could trade for either Nick Herbig or Josh Sweat. The issue is that it would require giving up assets, possibly draft picks. On the other hand, the team's brass could easily bring in either Cameron Jordan or Jadeveon Clowney on a one-year deal.
While adding a veteran pass rusher to the mix could potentially stall the development of the youngsters, it would give Jacksonville a proven commodity and insurance in case either Travon Walker or Josh Hines-Allen misses time.
With that said, it's hard to see the Jaguars add a pass rusher right now. Instead, expect them to see if somebody separates from the current group. If nobody does, signing a veteran would most definitely make sense.
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