Why Jeremiah Ledbetter Can Be the Jaguars' 'Pocket Knife'

The veteran defensive lineman is the Jaguars' next man up in the defensive line room.

A crucial role in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive front has been temporarily vacated in the wake of starting defensive lineman DaVon Hamilton’s back injury.

With no timetable for his return, one of the Jaguars defensive lineman will be asked to fill in for the time being. Fifth-year defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter’s strong preseason play has eased concerns among the coaching staff.

“[Ledbetter]’s a guy that has played in this league, he understands how to play in this league, and he’s been productive,” said Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell. “He played for us at the end of the season last year and he was able to do some good things late in the season and hopefully that will continue.”

The former sixth-round pick’s lone appearance last season came in Week 16 against the New York Jets. Ledbetter tallied 11 snaps in the 19-3 victory, finishing with a 63.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.

His play throughout in training camp has already garnered praise from Caldwell, and likely already secured him a spot on the final 53. Following a two-tackle, one-sack display against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, Ledbetter secured another sack and forced a fumble in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions.

“[Ledbetter] had a great game for us the other night,” said Caldwell. “He had a solid camp and he’s someone that right now we need to continue to improve and get better.”

Through two preseason games, Ledbetter has been one of the most impressive Jaguars on the field and enjoyed a stretch of extremely productive games from multiple spots along the defensive line. His versatility has impressed, and will likely give him a leg-up over rookie defensive linemen Raymond Vohasek and Tyler Lacy and former Cardinals defensive end Michael Dogbe.

“He’s a guy that is like a pocketknife, he can do a little bit of everything. Whatever you need him to do, he can play the nose, he can play a 3-technique, he can play a 5-technique, he has pass rush ability inside. He’s a guy that has a variety of different talents and now he’s starting to master his talent. It’s starting to show.”

In 21 regular season games with the Lions, Buccaneers, and Jaguars, Ledbetter has just one and a half sacks and one tackle for loss. His two sacks this preseason have already outpaced in career totals, and are tied for the most on the team with linebacker Ventrell Miller.

Ledbetter has already had one of the most impressive training camps of his career, but to successfully fill-in for Hamilton he will need to carry his momentum into the regular season. His next chance to capture some of that momentum will come against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 26.