The Jaguars Duo That is Setting the Tone for an Entire Unit

The Jacksonville Jaguars have two talented edge rushers on defense. Defensive Coordinator Ryan Nielsen and the Jaguars defense have greatly benefitted from their presence.

Jul 25, 2024; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Hines-Allen (41) and linebacker Travon Walker (44) participate in training camp at Miller Electric Center Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a formidable defensive line with talent across the board. Last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, the Jaguars’ defense line made its presence felt early and often, as they played a role in slowing down the Dolphins’ offense.

“Yeah, helps our defense, our team,” Nielsen said. I mean, we’ve got good players. Add Arik [DE Arik Armstead] in there. They're really good, do a good job using their hands, knocking the line of scrimmage back, they’re big bodies, they run real well. Those guys did a good job on the edge. They really did.”

While Walker and Hines-Allen only combined for eight tackles against the Dolphins, Nielsen noted the two did many things that did not show up on the stat sheet, such as properly setting the edge and repeatedly disrupting the Dolphins' backfield.

For Nielsen, a player can impact a game in multiple ways, which is what the duo of Hines-Allen and Walker did against the Dolphins. Nielsen says both players handled their individual responsibilities well and helped the defense have a respectable game against the Dolphins’ high-powered offense.

“Travon getting off of blocks," Nielsen said. "I mean, there were times Josh, his awareness in terms of the blocks and his block reaction, things like that. There's some disruption. There's some things that you didn't see on the stat line that he did during the game in the run game and the pass-rush game that showed up on the tape on the toss plays in the backfield, taking two guys where Tyson can make a tackle. So, there are some really good things that those guys did. Again, we just got to build off of it.”

The Jaguars will need another strong performance this weekend against the Cleveland Browns as both teams try to avoid an 0-2 start to the season. Although the Jaguars may have lost to the Dolphins, there were more than a few positives that they can build on heading into next week.

Walker, Hines-Allen, and the defensive line look to continue setting the tone for Nielsen’s defense over the next few weeks in what still has the chance to be a successful season for the Jaguars.

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