Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars can be offensive force but need defense to step up to join NFL elite

Updated Sep. 5, 2023 4:36 p.m. ET

National discourse about the Jaguars revolves around their offense. It's why they're viewed as an ascendant force in the AFC.

The preseason favorite to repeat as AFC South champions, Jacksonville in Trevor Lawrence has a now-established franchise quarterback entering Year 3, including his second with coach Doug Pederson, one of football's most respected offensive minds. It has nine returning offensive starters. It boasts the addition of Calvin Ridley, who in his past has proven to be a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver.

But more focus must be placed on the other side of the ball.

Defense is shaping to be an X-factor for the Jaguars' hopes of becoming part of the NFL's elite. They were stout against the run last year — 114.8 rushing yards allowed per game, 12th in league — but struggled to find consistency against the pass. Jacksonville in 2022 ranked 28th in pass defense (238.5 passing yards allowed per game), 29th in third-down efficiency (43.2%) and 25th in sacks (35).

The Jaguars offensively have as much firepower as anyone, but they must be able to at least slow down the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, all of whom are on their schedule this year.

Perhaps no Jaguars defenders shoulder more pressure than outside linebackers Josh Allen and Travon Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft. A consistent pass rush takes pressure off the secondary and can lead to more takeaways, which came in waves for the Jags last season. Allen and Walker, their top two pass rushers, combined for just 10.5 sacks in 2022.

Jacksonville didn't make any significant upgrades upfront after losing edge rusher Arden Key, who was third on the team with 4.5 sacks last year, in free agency. Defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot, who was second on the team with five sacks, is out at least the first four games on the Physically Unable to Perform list, a result of his Achilles injury from Week 16 last season. DaVon Hamilton, one of Jacksonville's top defensive linemen, is also out at least the first four games on injured reserve, battling a non-football related back issue.

K'Lavon Chaisson, a 2020 first-round pick who had a strong training camp, and fellow outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah, a fifth-round rookie, are expected to play a big role in the pass rush. Pederson has said that Chaisson is the team's No. 3 outside rusher, while Abdullah should factor into sub packages and obvious passing situations as an undersized pass rusher. He's listed at 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds.

"[Yasir] did some nice things in the preseason but still has some work to do and some growth as he continues to get better," Pederson said last week of the team's pass-rush outlook. "Josh and Travon, now going into the regular season, understand where they need to be and how they need to affect the pass rush. Obviously, where [defensive lineman] Foley [Fatukasi] was at the beginning of camp, he was dominant. He was aggressive. His foot kind of set him back, but we're expecting him back this week and really getting back to that full potential that he had early in camp.

"[Hamilton's injury] was kind of the shocker," Pederson continued. "We're just happy that he's healthy and heading in the right direction, but that's a big one from a pass-rush standpoint. Big bodies and pass rushers are hard to come by. You've just got to continue to develop your guys."

Why Jaguars will defend AFC South division title

The biggest reason why the Jaguars expect their defense to make strides from last year? The continuity.

They're running the same scheme under defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and returning all 11 starters from last year: Hamilton, Fatukasi and Roy Robertson-Harris on the defensive line; Allen, Walker, Foye Oluokun and Devin Lloyd at linebacker; Tyson Campbell, Rayshawn Jenkins, Andre Cisco and Darious Williams at defensive back. Tre Herndon is also a de facto starter as a nickelback.

Oluokun, who has led the NFL in tackles each of the past two years, said the continuity helps in knowing what to expect from his teammates out of play calls, knowing where they'll be and where the help is.

It makes communication easier.

"Just being able to play faster when we see a look," Oluokun explained Monday.

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Facing the offense throughout the offseason and training camp, the veteran linebacker also knows how dynamic the Jaguars' offense is. How explosive they could be. How fast they are. How they'll cause problems for opposing defenses. He likes the team's odds in one-on-one situations.

So it's the defense's job to make the offense's job as easy as possible.

"We give the ball back to them as much as possible and watch them work," Oluokun said, smiling.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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