{"id":3961,"date":"2016-10-13T15:24:26","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T19:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=3961"},"modified":"2016-10-13T15:24:26","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T19:24:26","slug":"jacksonville-jaguars-defensive-line-quarterly-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2016\/10\/13\/jacksonville-jaguars-defensive-line-quarterly-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Line Quarterly Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Jacksonville Jaguars<\/strong>\u00a0defensive line has had difficulties rushing the passer for years now. Their run defense has been solid at times though. The Jaguars<\/strong> have a mostly entirely new group rushing off the edge this year after parting ways with Andre Branch<\/a><\/strong> and Chris Clemons<\/a><\/strong> in the offseason. Dante Fowler<\/a><\/strong> and Yannick Ngakoue<\/a><\/strong> 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\u00a0Malik Jackson<\/a><\/strong> from the Broncos<\/strong>. Sheldon Day<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was also drafted after surprisingly being available in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft<\/strong>. With the additions on the edge and interior of the D-line, it\u2019s time to review the unit\u2019s performance over the first quarter of the 2016 season.<\/p>\n

Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Line Quarterly Review<\/h2>\n

Edge Rushers<\/h3>\n

The edge rushers this year have definitely been more impressive than in years past. Fowler was drafted third\u00a0overall in the 2015 NFL Draft to be Jacksonville\u2019s premiere pass rusher. So far, Ngakoue, a third\u00a0round pick in this year\u2019s draft, brings\u00a0the best presence off the edge. Ngakoue\u00a0is the more consistent pass rusher and showcases better\u00a0technique 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\u00a0Dante had this same issue in college as well. Todd Wash<\/strong> has done a good job at playing to Fowler\u2019s strength though by using him on stunts.<\/p>\n

Fowler has two sacks on the season with both coming in the Chargers<\/strong> 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<\/a><\/strong> 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\u2019s not all-world in the run game, but he\u2019s definitely not a liability either.<\/p>\n

Defensive Tackles<\/h3>\n

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<\/strong><\/a> has shown flashes of his old self but hasn\u2019t had the same impact that fans are accustomed to seeing from him. Sheldon Day\u2019s snap count has been limited, but he showed tremendous promise against the Colts<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Teams have run for 423 yards<\/a> in the first four games against Jacksonville while averaging four yards per attempt. Only San Diego<\/strong> 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<\/a><\/strong> 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> 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.<\/p>\n

Impressive Start<\/h3>\n

The defensive line\u2019s biggest takeaway from the first quarter of the 2016 season is that the group can effectively rush the passer. The D-line\u2019s ability to pressure quarterbacks this early in the year is promising to the group\u2019s 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<\/a><\/strong>. Roy Miller is still anchoring the middle of the line well, and Sheldon Day is proving that he deserves more playing time. There\u2019s always room for more improvement, but after the first quarter of the year, one can\u2019t help but to walk away feeling impressed by the defensive line\u2019s performance thus far.<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n