Jaguar Report

Film Room: 5 Plays Which Demonstrate What Rodney Gunter Brings to Jaguars

With former Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Rodney Gunter now set to play a big role in the Jaguars' new-look defense, what exactly will he be bringing to the table?

John Shipley

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone made one thing repeatedly clear this offseason: he wanted more run-stuffers along his defensive line. 

Over and over again in 2019, the Jaguars' run defense was gashed by opponents, giving up 23 rushing scores and 5.1 yards per carry, both second-worst in the NFL. Whether it was the Carolina Panthers, Tennesee Titans, Indianapolis Colts or the Houston Texans, teams had their way running against the Jaguars' 4-3 defense.

The Jaguars' solutions to overhauling the run defense thus far this offseason have been to float out the idea of a possible scheme change to a 3-4 base defense, and the addition of a number of run-stopping specialists. 

Among those additions? Former Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Rodney Gunter, who the Jaguars gave a three-year, $18 million contract in March.

In five seasons in Arizona, Gunter appeared in 77 games and made 38 starts. The burly defensive lineman (6-foot-5, 305-pounds) recorded 126 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 29 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles in his time with the Cardinals. 

"I think when you look at Gunter, he’s someone that I didn’t really know a lot about because they’re in the NFC West. Our scouting department did a good job, got him to the coaches, we watched a ton of film, and we were like, 'Listen, there are a lot of good things about this player.'" Marrone said on March 31. 

"Obviously, he plays the run well, he can rush at times, he has some versatility whether he’s inside or outside, at big end or defensive tackle, so we felt pretty good about that. I’m happy that we were able to find him, and we expect really good things out of him."

To get a better idea of the skillset that Gunter will bring to Jacksonville, we poured over his tape from the last two seasons via NFL Gamepass' coaching film and picked out five plays which we believe perfectly sum him up as a player. 

You can watch all of the plays in the video above, and we are also breaking them down one-by-one below.

Play 1

Here, we see Gunter aligned on the inside shade of the Seattle Seahawks' right tackle, a matchup he is likely to see often with the Jaguars due to the snaps he will almost assuredly take at defensive end.

Gunter gets a good first step off of the ball, going vertically at the right tackle. Right away, he keeps his frame clean by swiping the tackle's hands upon contact. The tackle attempts to force Gunter inside, but Gunter's strength and active hands help keep him on a direct path to the quarterback and shed the block, landing him right in Russell Wilson's lap. 

Play 2

Once again against Seattle, this time we see what Gunter brings to the table as a run defender, which is obviously why Jacksonville keyed in on him during free agency. 

In this play, Gunter is lined up at defensive end in a 3-3-5 look, shading the outside of the left guard. On this play, we see Seattle call a zone running play and ask the left tackle to perform a reach block on Gunter. Gunter instead fights off the block, keeps himself clean at the point of attack, and penetrate the backfield from the backside of the play. 

If Gunter doesn't get this penetration and make the tackle, the running back actually had a decent-sized hole along the right side of the line. Gunter turned a potential gain into a wasted play thanks to his ability to beat the reach block, something the Jaguars' defensive line struggled to do last year.

Play 3

While Gunter doesn't physically dominate the right guard here, this is a good look at what he brings as a third down defensive tackle. 

In this nickel defensive alignment, Gunter is aligned at three-technique and shading the guard. Gunter fires off the ball with good leverage, getting lower pads than the right guard. He never stops moving his feet and his natural power and bull rush help him collapse the pocket on Jameis Winston until he is able to get close enough to use his terrific length to finish the play. 

Gunter isn't as quick upfield as a pass rusher as Calais Campbell was, but this play demonstrates he has the motor and the physical tools to make an impact as a pass-rusher. 

Play 4

Not much needs to be said about this play aside from the fact that it likely made Marrone and the Jaguars' defensive staff salivate. The left guard pulls inside to perform a trap block on Gunter, but Gunter is tough at the point of attack to prevent the running back from taking the inside gap, forcing him outside. Gunter then sheds the block to make the tackle, and that is that. He is simply a strong, strong football player. 

Play 5

Stack the blocks and anchor vs. the double team. Read the play. Shed the blocks. Close in on the ball-carrier before he picks up any yards. Gunter did it all here from a defensive tackle alignment, once again proving his prowess and strength vs. the run.

Gunter will likely get a lot of reps from this kind of alignment in Jacksonville, so seeing him able to take on a double team and still make the tackle near the line of scrimmage is encouraging for his prospects with the Jaguars. 

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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

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