Remember that sinking feeling when your fantasy defense—stacked with one superstar pass-rusher—gets absolutely gashed on ‘Monday Night Football’? Yeah, Jacksonville Jaguars fans know it intimately. It’s the lingering aroma of 2024’s league-worst defense (389.9 yards per game allowed, dead last vs. the pass) clinging stubbornly to Duval County air, a stench even the electrifying draft selection of two-way phenom Travis Hunter can’t fully mask.
Like trying to freshen a locker room with a single spritz of cologne after a three-hour practice in August humidity, the underlying issues run deep. “Look, the tape don’t lie,” sighed one AFC scout this offseason, echoing the grim reality. “Elite edges masking a tissue-soft middle? That’s a blueprint for getting diced.” The Jags’ D wasn’t just bad last year; it was fundamentally broken. A league-low 9 takeaways. A staggering 126 missed tackles.
An interior defensive line graded by PFF as arguably the NFL’s absolute worst. It felt less like a unit, more like watching a ‘Madden’ glitch where your controller stops working mid-play. Opposing QBs had all day: Jacksonville ranked 25th in pressure rate (29.6%) when they didn’t blitz. Translation? Their base defense couldn’t generate a pass rush if you spotted them a 3-second head start.
So, where does Hunter fit in? The Heisman winner dazzled early, snagging a viral, no-look sideline interception in OTAs that had teammates dubbing him a ‘unicorn.’ His potential as a lockdown corner offers a desperately needed jolt to a secondary that bled yards. But asking a rookie – even one as generational as Hunter – to single-handedly fix a unit this broken is fantasy football thinking. He’s a shimmering new paint job on a chassis that’s still rattling. Can his energy and ball-hawking translate quickly? Absolutely. Is it enough to vault the Jags from 31st to even average? That’s a Hail Mary requiring more than one miracle.
Enter Josh Hines-Allen: The $150 million band-aid post-Hunter?
Which brings us to the gleaming, $150 million cornerstone tasked with holding this wobbly wall together: Josh Hines-Allen. Fresh off signing his monster extension ($88 M guaranteed), the edge dynamo isn’t just playing for sacks anymore; he’s been handed the keys to the entire defensive culture. Think Nick Fury assembling the Avengers, only Fury is a 6’5”, 255-pound sack artist carrying the franchise’s hopes on his shoulders.
“His presence? Huge,” new Head Coach Liam Coen emphasized during OTAs, putting the weight of expectation squarely on Hines-Allen’s back. Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile is leaning on him hard: “Josh isn’t just a player; he’s the anchor. We build around that energy.”
And the stats scream why. Forget the dip to 8 sacks last year – Hines-Allen still racked up a vicious 63 QB pressures (10th in NFL), proving his disruption transcends the box score. His 82.7 PFF overall grade (13th among DEs) and 83.4 pass rush grade (10th) confirm he’s elite. He’s sniffing history too, needing just 2 more sacks to tie Tony Brackens’ franchise record (55). But here’s the rub: even the mightiest edge duo needs help inside.
Hines-Allen and Travon Walker (10.5 sacks, 60 pressures in ’24) formed arguably the league’s most productive edge tandem. Yet, the Jags’ D-line still ranked 26th per PFF. It’s like having two Ferraris in the garage… but the garage is built on quicksand.
The Jaguars didn’t just have the NFL’s worst defense in 2024; they authored a masterclass in defensive dysfunction. Handing Hines-Allen a massive role and a massive contract is the right move – he’s earned it as a consistent Pro Bowl force. Injecting Hunter’s electric talent is thrilling. But until they find warriors who can consistently win in the gut of that defensive line, freeing up their star edges, and forcing QBs into mistakes?
The stench of last season will linger. The foundation remains perilously weak. Jacksonville’s defensive redemption story hinges not just on its stars shining, but on the unheralded guys in the trenches finally holding the damn line. Otherwise, it’s just rearranging deck chairs on the ‘USS Give-Up-The-Big-Play.’ The pressure isn’t just on the QB this season in Duval; it’s squarely on the entire defense to prove they’re more than just two pass rushers and a prayer.
The post Jaguars Still Have NFL’s ‘Worst’ Defense Even After Travis Hunter Draft as Josh Hines-Allen Handed Big Role appeared first on EssentiallySports.
