The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive line has had difficulties rushing the passer for years now. Their run defense has been solid at times though. The Jaguars have a mostly entirely new group rushing off the edge this year after parting ways with Andre Branch and Chris Clemons in the offseason. Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue both came into 2016 with zero snaps on their resumes. Ngakoue is a rookie and Fowler missed his entire rookie season because of an ACL injury. The interior of the defensive line added a big boost in talent after signing Malik Jackson from the Broncos. Sheldon Day was also drafted after surprisingly being available in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. With the additions on the edge and interior of the D-line, it’s time to review the unit’s performance over the first quarter of the 2016 season.
Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Line Quarterly Review
Edge Rushers
The edge rushers this year have definitely been more impressive than in years past. Fowler was drafted third overall in the 2015 NFL Draft to be Jacksonville’s premiere pass rusher. So far, Ngakoue, a third round pick in this year’s draft, brings the best presence off the edge. Ngakoue is the more consistent pass rusher and showcases better technique at this point than Fowler. However, Fowler has not been bad at rushing the passer. He provides a good initial rush up the field but has had issues turning the edge and disengaging from his blocker. Fowler’s surgically repaired knee may be keeping him from getting low enough to bend the arc. Although Dante had this same issue in college as well. Todd Wash has done a good job at playing to Fowler’s strength though by using him on stunts.
Fowler has two sacks on the season with both coming in the Chargers game. Ngakoue has three sacks in the past three games to go along with three forced fumbles and an interception. Ngakoue has been able to consistently pressure quarterbacks with his outside rush. He blows by tackles, and the difference between him and Fowler is that Ngakoue has the technique and quickness to disengage and make the play on the quarterback. The Jaguars have three interceptions on the year. Jalen Ramsey tipped one of those passes. Fowler is to thank for the other two interceptions, so he has made his presence felt in other facets than pass rushing. Fowler has done a good job of playing the run. He sets the edge and pursues the ball carrier well. His next progression will hopefully be making plays behind the line of scrimmage with some regularity. Ngakoue has been better at run defending than many believed he would be at this point. He’s not all-world in the run game, but he’s definitely not a liability either.
Defensive Tackles
The interior defensive linemen are led by the play of Malik Jackson. He has been a disruptive force rushing the passer even though his sack total (one) might not reflect as much. Jackson overpowers guards and centers causing quarterbacks to flee the pocket. His inside pressure has also kept quarterbacks from stepping up into the pocket which in turn has led to more sack opportunities for Fowler and Ngakoue. Sen’Derrick Marks has shown flashes of his old self but hasn’t had the same impact that fans are accustomed to seeing from him. Sheldon Day’s snap count has been limited, but he showed tremendous promise against the Colts with his explosive first step off the ball. If Marks can return close to his prior form, the interior defensive line will have a nice rotation of disruptive pass rushers to cycle in and out.
Teams have run for 423 yards in the first four games against Jacksonville while averaging four yards per attempt. Only San Diego rushed for more than 100 yards on the Jaguars. The defensive line has been decent clogging up the lanes. If they can avoid giving up explosive running plays, the unit will rank amongst the best defenses in this category. Roy Miller is a name that is seldom mentioned in the media which is generally what you want from your nose tackle. He has quietly been doing his job of eating up double teams well the past few seasons, and this year is no different. Malik has been known to be a force in the run game and has shown his dominance at times. Although he could stand to improve in this area a bit this year. When on the field, Day has penetrated and forced running backs to make early cuts behind the line of scrimmage. It will be interesting to see if the coaches increase his reps as the season progresses.
Impressive Start
The defensive line’s biggest takeaway from the first quarter of the 2016 season is that the group can effectively rush the passer. The D-line’s ability to pressure quarterbacks this early in the year is promising to the group’s future moving forward. Fowler and Ngakoue are still young and have a few more seasons until they reach their primes. Jackson is playing just as well as any defensive tackle in the league right now not named Aaron Donald. Roy Miller is still anchoring the middle of the line well, and Sheldon Day is proving that he deserves more playing time. There’s always room for more improvement, but after the first quarter of the year, one can’t help but to walk away feeling impressed by the defensive line’s performance thus far.
