The interior defensive line turned out to be a weakness for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. While Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen did a good job of containing the edge, the Jags had trouble bringing the heat inside. Beefing up the group must one of their top priorities in the offseason, and Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report has an interesting suggestion.
Ballentine drew up a list of needs for every AFC team ahead of the season finale and mentioned the interior trenches as an area Jacksonville must address in the offseason. To do so, he suggests it target Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams in free agency, pointing out that he's developed into a dependable rotational player.
"The Jaguars have to be better on defense if they are going to bounce back in 2025. The defensive line did not live up to expectations. Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen had decent seasons, but they got next to no help. Jeremiah Ledbetter and Roy Robertson-Harris were the only semi-productive options on the inside and they are both on the wrong side of 30.
Milton Williams has been a good rotational piece for a lot of good Eagles defenses. He'll hit free agency at 25 years old with a career-high five sacks. Taking on a larger role for Jacksonville could lead to even more success for both parties."
Williams had a breakout season for Philly in 2024, registering five sacks, 23 total tackles, and eight quarterback hits in 16 games with seven starts. Moreover, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the fifth-best pass rusher with a 90.3 percent score. He was a third-round pick in 2021 who played a career-high 49 percent of his team's total snaps this season.
Now, it's not a given that Williams will hit the open market, but if he does, the Jags should most definitely keep an eye on him. The issue with signing him is that they must have realistic expectations. With the Eagles, the former Louisiana Tech standout has never played more than 50 percent of their defensive snaps in a season, and his efficiency could decrease if he gets an increased workload.
It's also worth noting that Williams peaked just before free agency, so it's hard to tell if his breakout season is a sign of things to come or an outlier. Still, he should have no shortage of suitors and will probably command $6 million to $9 million per year if he's indeed available.
Why the Jaguars must proceed with caution when it comes to Milton Williams
There's no denying that Milton Williams could have a positive impact with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Having said that, they must have realistic expectations. They can not give him a top-market contract and expect him to play like an elite defensive lineman when he's been a rotational piece throughout his career. On the other hand, he won't be the Jags' option to bolster their position in the offseason.
Other alternatives to Williams in free agency will be Tershawn Wharton (Kansas City Chiefs), Javon Kinlaw (New York Jets), B.J. Hill (Cincinnati Bengals), and D.J. Jones (Denver Broncos). All of them are solid to dependable players. If none is of interest to Jacksonville, the NFL Draft will be stacked with talent on Days 1 and 2.
The Jags could go after Mason Graham in the first round or someone like Tyliek Williams or Deone Walker in Round 2. The bottom line is that the team's brass will have several paths to address what's turned out to be a weakness in 2024.
It would also help if the coaching staff pulled the plug on the Arik Armstead experiment. The former Oregon Duck signed a three-year deal worth $43.5 million in free agency and mostly lined up on the edge in 2024. This is puzzling when you take into account that he's at his best playing inside.
Circling back to Milton Williams, he isn't a game-changer but he most definitely deserves consideration if the Jags want to beef up the defensive trenches in the offseason.