The Jacksonville Jaguars are entering the offseason with a ton of excitement after immediately turning things around during Liam Coen’s first year as head coach. The Jags won 13 games in the 2025 season, but since they didn’t win the Super Bowl, there’s more work to be done. That work will start with acquiring players throughout the offseason.
While Jacksonville has multiple areas with room for improvement, ESPN reporter Mike DiRocco recently named the area the team needs to prioritize. In a power rankings piece, the Jaguars were ranked ninth, and DiRocco explained that finding pass-rush help has to be a point of emphasis for the team this offseason.
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ESPN argues that the Jaguars must prioritize finding pass rush help this offseason
Michael DiRocco acknowledged that Jacksonville was effective in pressuring the quarterback this past season, but has to do a better job of actually getting quarterbacks to the ground. Pointing out how the team doesn’t have a first-round pick, the reporter says the path to addressing this issue is free agency or by trade.
"The Jaguars did a good job of getting close to the quarterback in 2025 (222 pressures, ranked third), but not so much in getting the quarterback on the ground (32 sacks, ranked 27th)."Mike DiRocco (ESPN)
This reality is somewhat disappointing because the Jaguars have invested in their pass-rushing group quite a bit in recent years. Most notably, the team selected Josh Hines-Allen with the seventh-overall pick in the 2019 Draft, K’Lavon Chaisson with the 20th pick in 2020, and Travon Walker first overall in 2022
While Chaisson just had a breakout season with the New England Patriots, Hines-Allen and Walker are still with the team. Both of them start for the Jags, but the fact that pass rush is even a need for the franchise with both guys still on the team is disappointing. Hines-Allen did lead the team in sacks this past season, recording eight in 17 games, but Walker only had 3.5 in 14 games.
DiRocco did emphasize that the “interior pass rush especially needs a boost,” so that’s not really Walker and Hines-Allen’s territory. If anything, the Jags need to prioritize making upgrades at defensive tackle. However, the point remains the same: Needing to address their pass rush this offseason means the team isn’t getting the production it hoped it would out of two premium picks.
Perhaps Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker will take their game to the next level next season, but it wouldn't hurt the Jags to add reinforcements to the pass rush just in case.