Grading the Jacksonville Jaguars: Evaluating the Edge Defenders

How have the Jaguars' pass-rushers played up to this point in the 2021 season? We break it down below.

The Jacksonville Jaguars left their bye week with a win under their belt and momentum off which to build. After six games—and 11 to go—where does this team stand? The first five losses painted a picture of a team with lots of places to improve, but some positives that can be taken away as well.

Through this series, we'll examine each unit; what's worked, what hasn't and what grade they've earned thus far. Next up, the edge defenders, which consist of Josh Allen, Dawuane Smoot, Jihad Ward, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Lerentee McCray.

Overall

The positives revolving around this position is the fact that it seems like the Jaguars have at least three pass-rushers who can provide quality depth on the edge. Jihad Ward is set to be moved around the formation more frequently, per Urban Meyer, and has done some of his best pass-rush work from the interior. Aside from Ward, the Jaguars have gotten some production out of their pair of former first-round picks, Allen and Chaisson, and Smoot, who has essentially become a starter over the course of the season. 

Allen has transitioned to a role that asks more out of him than simply pinning his ears back and rushing the passer. Allen's sack totals are down but he has been one of the league's more productive edge rushers over the last several weeks in terms of pressure rate. There is an argument to make that Allen could be getting home and finishing sacks more frequently if the Jaguars had a better push from the interior or better coverage in the backend. Allen showed a deeper rush repertoire against the Dolphins in his most disruptive game of the season in Week 6, while also making the pivotal fourth-down run stop at the end of the game to give the Jaguars the ball at midfield. 

Chaisson has been given the fewest pass-rush opportunities of any of the Jaguars' edge defenders, in large part because he is the team's starting strong side linebacker but is No. 4 on the pass-rush pecking order. While he has just one sack, Chaisson has shown better play as a run defender in 2021 and his rushing efficiency is up from a year ago, albeit with a small sample size.

Smoot has earned more reps throughout the season, essentially becoming a full-time player and starter over the last several weeks. He leads the Jaguars in pressures and quarterback hits and has also made strong plays against the run throughout the year. Smoot's lack of open-space athleticism has shown up at times. Still, Smoot has shown a wide array of rush moves on the edge and has flourished in the new scheme.

While the Jaguars have gotten some standout recent performances from their edge defenders, the pass-rush as a whole is still not quite where it needs to be for a winning team. The Jaguars' ranked high in pressure rate over the early weeks of the season but the unit plateaued up until Week 6 against the Dolphins when the unit combined for 16 pressures and three quarterback hits, most of those coming from Josh Allen and Dawuane Smoot. 

Overall though, the Dolphins game was more of a peak of the Jaguars' performance on the edge thus far as opposed to a continuation of past performances. It is good the Jaguars showed the ability to dominate a game on the edges, though it did come against a Dolphins team that currently has one of the worst offensive lines in football. The only real negative here is the Jaguars' edge defenders have to be more consistent, especially when it comes to one-on-ones. They have shown the ability to make plays in one-on-one situations, but it will need to happen on a more frequent basis. 

As things stand today, Smoot is credited by PFF with 24 pressures, five quarterback hits, and two sacks on the season, while Allen is credited with 19 pressures, four hits, and three sacks. Smoot is ranked 17th among edge defenders, while Allen is 31st. While the individual performances have been there, the Jaguars are tied for last in the NFL in sacks with eight, making them one of only two teams that don't currently have double-digit sacks. With the Jaguars' two best edge rushers combining for five sacks in six weeks, it is clear the Jaguars will need more of a boost off the edge in terms of production.

A big reason the Jaguars' sack totals are low is the group has struggled at finishing rushes when they get to the quarterback. There have been multiple occasions this season where the Jaguars have had quarterbacks in their grasps, just for the quarterback to somehow escape and make a big play or at least get rid of the ball, preventing a negative play for the offense. Each of the Jaguars' edge defenders has been guilty of this, making it a theme for the defense as opposed to a sporadic event. 

Grade: C

In short, the Jaguars' edge defenders are getting pressure and have come on as of late, but it has to be more consistent and ultimately they need to bring the quarterback down more. Coverage ties in directly with the pass-rush so the low sack figures can't be placed solely on the pass-rush, especially when one considers the Jaguars' edge rush has been better than it's rush from the interior.