Jacksonville’s edge rush duo of Josh Allen and Travon Walker have combined to miss only two of the club’s past 34 regular season games. The tandem emerged as one of the NFL’s top pass-rushing sets last year, uniting for 27.5 sacks without missing a single contest between them.
The Jaguars have been fortunate that their starting edge rushers have almost always been available to play.
What has rested behind Allen and Walker on Jacksonville’s EDGE depth chart has been great cause for concern dating back to last offseason, when backup pass rusher Arden Key left for a bigger role with Tennessee and virtually went unreplaced, outside of the team’s 2023 fifth-round selection, Yasir Abdullah. He recorded one tackle as a rookie.
Perhaps predictably, Jacksonville’s second-team EDGE group was ineffective in 2023, combining for just three sacks. That’s why the club signed former Tennessee and Chicago edge rusher Trevis Gipson via free agency this past March.
“He has history with [Jaguars outside linebackers] coach [Bill] Shuey,” Jacksonville defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said about Gipson on Monday, ahead of Jacksonville’s first 2024 offseason training activity (OTA).
“Coach Shuey was really big on bringing him, ‘Hey take a look at this guy. I have some history with him.’ Within what we do, he fits the mold.”
A 2020 fifth-round pick by Chicago, Gipson worked under Shuey for the first two seasons of his career. The latter served as a pass rush analyst and assistant positional coach before being promoted to oversee the Bears’ outside linebackers for the 2021 campaign.
Gipson effectively redshirted his rookie year, before producing his best season as a pro with Shuey’s guidance in 2021. He tallied seven sacks and as many tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, two defended passes and 39 total tackles over 16 appearances and nine starts.
However, Gipson’s production declined after Chicago hired a new coaching staff in 2022, leading Shuey to join Doug Pederson’s staff in Jacksonville with the same title that season.
In 17 games and 10 starts, Gipson accumulated three sacks, four tackles for loss, 31 total tackles and three defended passes. He was waived during the 2023 preseason, leading to his signing with Tennessee, where he posted six tackles, one sack and one forced fumble last year.
The Jaguars believe Gipson can benefit from a reunion with Shuey and are excited to observe him in the practice setting this summer under his old coach.
If he can return to his 2021 form, Gipson will present the Jaguars with the third capable edge rusher they’ve needed since Key’s exit.
“Haven’t played a play yet but excited about what we’ve seen on the tape,” Nielsen said. “He’s a tireless worker, intelligent player, I think he’s got a bright future.”