Which Jaguars Had Breakout Campaigns in 2023?
While the 2023 season didn't end in a successful year for the Jacksonville Jaguars as a team, they did see several players find individual success.
For a Jaguars team looking to improve in 2024 in a key season, these players could potentially lead the charger as some of the best on the Jaguars' roster.
So, which Jaguars had breakout campaigns in 2023? We break it down below.
Josh Allen
The fifth-year outside linebacker had already been one of the most consistently solid pass-rushers in the NFL in his first four seasons, but Josh Allen took his game to another level entirely in 2023. He set the franchise record in sacks with 17.5, while also finishing with a career-high in quarterback hits, with his 33 quarterback hits trailing only T.J. Watt and Nick Bosa.
Allen finished as the No. 9 pass-rusher in all of football in win-rate in 2023, while also recording the fifth-most pressures. In addition, his win-rate against true pass-sets was No. 2 in the NFL, behind only Myles Garrett. Allen was an elite defender in 2023, even if he didn't get the All-Pro credit for it. When talking about the best pass rushers along with Garrett, Watt, and Micah Parsons, Allen deserves a spot in the conversation,
Travon Walker
Travon Walker made this author look like a fool with his 2023 production. Walker hit double-digit sacks for the first time of his career with a 10-sack effort, and some of his best games as a pass-rusher came down the stretch. Walker recorded five of his sacks in the final four weeks and recorded at least half a sack in seven of the final eight games.
The beauty with Walker is there is still room for improvement. Walker played his best football down the stretch and should still be expected to improve in 2024, regardless of which defensive scheme the Jaguars run. Walker had enough flashes and sack production in 2023 to get excited about moving forward, with his chance for an even better season in the years moving ahead.
Travis Etienne
The second-half season wasn't very kind to Travis Etienne after he entered Week 10 as arguably the NFL's second-best workhorse behind Christian McCaffrey. The big plays and touchdowns happened at a lower rate over the second half of the season behind a struggling offensive line, leading to a career year for Etienne that still could have been even better.
Etienne led all NFL running backs in missed tackles forced with 64, per Pro Football Focus, and had the fifth most rushing yards after contact among all running backs. Etienne also improved by leaps and bounds as a receiver, finishing with the fifth-most receiving yards of all running backs with 476, along with 24 missed tackles forced as a receiver -- third among all running backs.
Anton Harrison
Anton Harrison proved the Jaguars right on several levels in 2023. The Jaguars made the bold move of letting an experienced veteran in Jawaan Taylor walk in free-agency, and then made an even bolder one by replacing him with a 21-year-old rookie who played left tackle in college. Despite the odds, Harrison had a standout performance in 2023, one that should excite the franchise moving forward.
Harrison had the lowest pressure rate of any rookie offensive tackle in 2023 after playing the most pass-protection snaps of any rookie tackle in football in the last two seasons. Of all offensive tackles over the last two seasons with at least 700 pass-protection snaps, Harrison's 27 pressures are the second-fewest behind Brian O'Neil in 2022. He can improve as a run-blocker, but he had an extremely successful rookie campaign.
Evan Engram
Evan Engram made the history books in 2023, becoming the eighth tight end to ever record 100 or more catches in a season. He didn't stop there, with his 114 catches ranking only second in NFL history for any tight end in a season ever, trailing just Zach Ertz. Engram did this despite recording the 14th-most targets by a tight end in any season, meaning several tight ends before him saw an even higher volume but didn't bring in as many catches as Engram.
Engram's role could always evolve moving forward, too, considering he was used in many ways as the Jaguars' chain-mover in 2023. He was a big-play threat the year before and turned into a dominant yards after the catch tight end in 2023, becoming one of the key fixtures of an otherwise turbulent offense.
