Early in the offseason, Arik Armstead was routinely brought up as a potential cap casualty, and understandably so. If the Jacksonville Jaguars released him, they would free up $17.1 million in space. But despite the speculation, the Jags are seemingly holding onto him.
This doesn't mean that the noise went unnoticed; Armstead was fully aware of the rumors but instead of letting them get to him, he focused on what he could control.
Arik Armstead was aware that the was a potential Jaguars cap casualty
Arik Armstead had a sitdown with Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union and revealed that it was impossible not to hear the speculation about his future in Duval, noting that either you saw it on social media or someone else would tell you about it.
One of the biggest reasons Armstead was dubbed a cut candidate was that he suffered a dip in production late in the season, failing to register a sack the last seven games. During his exchange with O'Halloran, the former Oregon Duck cited his hand injury as the main reason for the drop-off.
"I was playing with one hand for six games," Armstead told O'Halloran, via NFL Media. "Couldn't play as many snaps because it was hard to play the run with just one hand, so I was limited to (pass-rush) situations. As I got more comfortable (with the cast), I was able to be somewhere effective, but couldn't grab (his blocker) and couldn't do certain moves."
Armstead makes a solid point. It's hard to shed blocks or push opposing offensive linemen with just one hand. The Jaguars were seemingly aware of his limitations, which is why it's fair to assume that they expect him to make an impact once again next season.
A first-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2015, Armstead signed a three-year deal with Jacksonville in 2024. His first season in Duval left much to be desired, but some of that stemmed from the puzzling decision to have him line up at defensive end despite the fact that he's at his best when he's inside in a 3-4 scheme.
Once the new staff took over, Armstead returned to his more familiar defensive tackle position and made an immediate impact, registering 5.5 sacks before he suffered the hand injury.
The Jaguars are counting on Arik Armstead to make an impact
The truth is that it would have only made sense to cut ties with Arik Armstead if the Jaguars had replaced him. They didn't. Although the team's brass did make a few moves to bolster the interior defensive line, he remains their best interior pass rusher.
The Jaguars traded for Ruke Orhorhoro and later drafted Albert Regis. However, neither is a proven commodity like Armstead. DaVon Hamilton is also in the mix, but he doesn't offer much as a pass rusher.
For his part, Armstead is entering a contract year. He'll benefit greatly if he has a good season, as he'll get a chance to cash in. Whether that's with the Jaguars remains to be seen, but they will cross that bridge at due time.
For time being, the Jaguars are trusting Arik Armstead to get back on track and make the kind of impact he had before he suffered the hand injury last year.
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