The Jacksonville Jaguars are no longer flying under the radar after going 13-4 and seizing the AFC South in 2025. But now that they've put the league on notice, they'll be tasked with improving the roster if they want to pick up where they left off last year. That means taking care of several glaring needs.
While cornerback and the pass rush need the team's immediate attention, general manager James Gladstone cannot overlook the interior defensive trenches. Just recently, he was given an intriguing option to get it done.
The Jaguars would solve their D-Line issues with Christen Miller
Ryan Smith of Pro Football Focus drew up a list of best-case scenarios for each AFC team and chose addressing the interior defensive line for the Jaguars, noting that the group lacks talent beyond Arik Armstead.
"The Jaguars defense's strength is on the edge with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, but the interior defensive line could use some more depth," Miller wrote. "Jacksonville is another team that does not hold a first-round pick in this year's draft due to the trade with the Cleveland Browns for Travis Hunter last year, so it will look to improve the unit on Day 2 of the draft."
As Smith points out, the Jags don't have a first-round pick, which will make it a tad more difficult to add reinforcements at defensive tackle. Compounding the issue is that Jacksonville is $15.9 million over the cap, which makes the prospect of signing someone like John Franklin-Myers in free agency a long shot.
The good news is that there still will be several defensive tackles available when the Jags are on the clock at No. 56, and Smith suggests they roll with Georgia's Christen Miller, noting that he's a stud against the run that has shown pass-rush capabilities.
"Christen Miller may not make it to the Jaguars in the second round but would be an ideal landing spot if he fell to them as a 6-foot-4, 310 pound defensive tackle that was elmite when defending the run in 2025 (90.2 PFF run-defense grade) while also showing the ability to rush the passer at a high level with a 11.3 pass-rush win rate from the interior," Smith said.
As Smith noted, though, Miller could be gone early in Round 2, but there's a chance he'll be available at No. 46. Matt Miller of ESPN ranked him 44th overall in his top 50 big board.
A four-star recruit out of high school, Miller attended Georgia in 2022. A rotational player early on, he became a starter in 2023, registering 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. Last season, the former Bulldog posted 23 total tackles and 1.5 sacks, while his PFF overall grade of 82.3 ranked 39th among defensive tackles across the nation.
Drafting Christen Miller would be huge for the Jaguars
There's no doubt that Christen Miller would help the Jaguars solve their woes on the interior defensive line, but the reason you won't see him mocked to them is that teams like the Dallas Cowboys or the Green Bay Packers could pick him early in Round 2. That said, he would most definitely be an intriguing pick.
But if Jacksonville wants to take a defensive tackle in the draft, Lee Hunter or Darell Jackson Jr. would be other options on Day 2. Either way, the team's brass must address the position. While Arik Armstead has been brought up as a potential cap casualty, the Jags are better off restructuring his contract, as they don't have anyone else in the interior trenches.
DaVon Hamilton, who thrives against the run, is a core contributor inside but isn't much of a pass-rusher. Maason Smith, on the other hand, was a disappointment last year, and there's a chance he may not be on the roster come Week 1. The team's brass did re-sign Matt Dickerson, but he's not much more than a depth piece.
When you add it all up, the Jaguars cannot afford to overlook the defensive line, and landing Christen Miller would most definitely help.