4 offseason needs for the Jacksonville Jaguars that surfaced this season

2. Interior defensive line

As important as it is to bring another pass rusher, the Jaguars also need to address their interior defensive line. While they have depth across the group, their dearth of difference-makers has affected their ability to bring the heat and stop the run.

Josh Allen and Travon Walker do a heck of a job against the run, but their work is mostly on the edge. Meanwhile, the interior of the trenches is often exposed because they don't have the personnel to either take on blocks or close gaps. Granted, they're missing DaVon Hamilton, who got a three-year deal worth $34 million in the offseason but dealt with a non-football injury to start the season. When he was back in the fold, he wasn't 100 percent.

Hamilton was expected to have a breakout season, but it will probably have to wait until next year. There's also Folorunso Fatukasi, one of the team's splash acquisitions last year. The mammoth defensive tackle has flashed at times but injuries have prevented him from becoming a mainstay of the defensive trenches. While the Jaguars didn't expect him to be an All-Pro when they signed him, they haven't gotten consistent production from him either.

The rest of the Jacksonville defensive line is filled by good rotational players. Adam Gotsis has been an important piece since landing in Jacksonville in 2020 but he's better suited for a complementary role. The same is true for Angelo Blackson, who's gotten a bit of playing time this season and made the most of it.

Maybe rookie Tyler Lacy can develop into more than a rotational piece, but it would be unrealistic to expect him to turn into a Pro Bowl talent given that he was a fourth-round pick this past draft. The bottom line is that the Jaguars are lacking a difference-maker in the trenches, someone who can consistently collapse the pocket and stop the run. They need to get that player next year.