What New Jaguars Middle Linebacker Joe Schobert Wants to Prove in Jacksonville

Now that he is the new man in the middle of the Jaguars' defense, Joe Schobert has one main goal: turn Jacksonville into a winner.

In four NFL seasons, new Jacksonville Jaguars middle linebacker Joe Schobert has proven an awful lot. 

He has proven even fourth-round linebackers who are forced to switch positions in the NFL can become Pro Bowl players and earn big contracts. Through 49 career starts, he has proven he can be a playmaker in the middle of a defense, recording 408 career tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, six interceptions, 20 pass deflections, seven forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. 

All together, Schobert has proven each season since the Cleveland Browns selected him with the No. 99 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft that he belongs. As a result, he became the Jaguars' big fish target this offseason, earning a five-year, $53.75 million contract. 

But despite all this, Schobert still has something left to prove in his own eyes as he enters 2020, a year in which he will be leaned on heavily as the Jaguars' man in the middle: he wants to prove he can help turn the Jaguars into a contender year in and year out. 

“I come from a franchise where I didn’t play in the playoffs. I was 1-31 my first two seasons; that was my record," Schobert said in a video conference with local media Tuesday. 

"I just want to prove that I can be a part of a winning franchise, a winning organization. In 2017, the Jaguars went to the AFC Championship game, but I want to be able to change the culture into a traditional winning culture to be a team that can go to the playoffs year after year and become one of the more successful franchises in the AFC, competing for titles every year.”

The Jaguars will be relying on Schobert both on the field and in the locker room as they look to return to their 2017 form. In the last two seasons, the Jaguars have compiled a 11-21 record and finished in last place of the AFC South in each season. The once elite defense has fell victim to roster turnover, becoming closer to a pedestrian unit. 

Aside from on-field failures, the Jaguars have also had failures in the locker room. A number of players have burned bridges on their way out of Jacksonville in the last two seasons, creating havoc in an already turbulent locker room. Now, the Jaguars are hoping the level-headed Schobert can help bring stability to the team on and off the field.

“That was one of the things in the initial talks before I signed anything: they want to bring in proven players who have played in the NFL before and proven they’ve belonged and also guys that’ll be good, leadership role models in the locker room," Schobert said. "Level-headed, steady voices and they thought I could provide one of those things.”

Schobert establishing himself as one of the leaders of the Jaguars' locker room and defense will obviously take some time considering the Jaguars currently aren't allowed together on the field or in the team's facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic and closing of facilities throughout the NFL. 

As time goes on, though, expect for Schobert to use his every day actions to set an example and lead the Jaguars. He has proven he can in the past, and he is prepared to prove it again. 

“It’s something you get a little bit of a feel for, but the thing you can do right way is lead by example. I’m going to go in and do things the way I’ve always done them," he said. 

"Getting in the weight room, working hard, going out on the field, asking questions, doing my best to hustle every play, run to the ball. Just do stuff to set an example physically with my actions. As you learn the personalities of people, as you learn your position group, as you learn the whole field and whole team and you start stepping in and figuring out where you fit in vocally. I’m sure there are vocal leaders who are there already and you don’t want to come in and just step on somebody’s toes and try to be loud and talk over them and stuff like that. Just go in and figure that stuff out, but you can always lead by example.”