Category: Josh Allen

Jags’ K’Lavon Chaisson to attend Von Miller’s pass rush summit

Von Miller’s pass rush summit is coming up soon and Jags pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson will be checking it out.

When looking at the past decade, many would label Von Miller as one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. However, over the last few years, the veteran has put together an annual Pass Rush Summit to pass off his knowledge (and garner some, too) from the league’s top minds.

With 2020’s annual meeting being virtual, things will be getting back to normal as Miller will hold it in Las Vegas, and as always, he’s expecting the turnout to be huge. Miller told the media that he likes to garner insight from younger players and that Jags edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, would be one of the many players attending.

“I’m [having the camp] back in [Las] Vegas,” Miller said. “I just feel like Vegas is a  great, neutral site. Everybody loves going to Vegas, especially when I’m paying for the rooms. You have a free weekend in Vegas to come do whatever you do in Vegas and come learn some football.

“I think that’s pretty appealing to the guys. This year, we have a heavy focus on the young guys. We have [Patriots LB] Josh Uche, we got [Jaguars edge rusher K’Lavon] Chaisson. We got a lot of young guys this year. I kind of like it better that way. The young guys, they just have this spark about them where they just want to know more. [Former NFL OLB] DeMarcus [Ware] is coming. Demarcus is already a walking pass-rush summit wherever he goes. It’ll be another great time in Vegas.”

This is certainly a grand opportunity for the Jags’ first-round pick from 2020. With Yannick Ngakoue on his way out and demanding a trade, the team selected Chaisson 20th overall, and he ended up playing in all 16 games and starting in three. He ultimately ended up accumulating just one sack and 19 tackles, but the hope is he’ll take a step forward this season after getting a year under his belt.

With Jags mandatory mini-camp coming up next week and training camp coming afterward, learning a thing or two from Miller and company before things ramp up for the Jags doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all. Hopefully, Chaisson will be able to put it to use when he returns to Jacksonville as the defense is going to need him and Josh Allen to take a step forward this season.

Jaguars DL among the worst in NFL, PFF says

Pro Football Focus isn’t very high on the Jacksonville defensive line in 2021 despite the potential for Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson.

It’s no secret that Jacksonville’s defensive line was an especially glaring weakness on a team that finished 1-15 last season. The Jags finished just 30th in run defense and 31st in total sacks, essentially indicating it was exceptionally poor in every facet of the game.

This offseason, the team added a handful of new pieces, including free agents Roy Robertson-Harris and Jihad Ward, as well as Malcom Brown, who was acquired in a trade with the New Orleans Saints. However, none of those players are expected to be transformative, and if the unit is going to take a big leap forward, it will be because of the new system.

Under previous defensive coordinator Todd Wash, the team ran a 4-3 defense that resulted in both edge rushers in Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson playing outside of their natural position. New defensive coordinator Joe Cullen’s system will allow for them to play as edge-rushing, standup outside linebackers, and both thrived in that spot in college.

Schematics could make a big difference on the field this year, but Pro Football Focus isn’t convinced. In its ranking of the NFL’s defensive line units, Jacksonville ranks just 30th, ahead of only the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans.

Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson have the tools to develop into a dynamic edge-rushing duo, but 2021 may still be a year too early for that to take hold. Allen has already proven to be an effective pass rusher across the first two years of his career, earning pass-rushing grades between 70.0 and 75.0 in both 2019 and 2020. Chaisson came on stronger down the stretch last season but recorded just a 9.2% pressure rate overall. With work still left to do for those two and little to get excited about on the interior, this should be one of the lower-graded units in the league again next season.

As previously mentioned, the success of this unit will largely boil down to the strides Allen and Chaisson take. But PFF is right that the interior defensive line remains a weakness, and its improvement will hinge on notables like Robertson-Harris, Brown, DaVon Hamilton, and Doug Costin.

The Jags attempted to mitigate this for the future by using a third-round pick on USC nose tackle Jay Tufele, and though he will likely factor into the rotation this year, his impact could be limited unless he has a very impressive camp.

Ultimately, this is a unit that has some potential. But it also has a lot of development left to do, and even if Allen and Chaisson exceed all expectations, this group may still not rank in the upper half of the league.

Josh Allen on Jags’ new defensive scheme: ‘I feel like we’re playing back to what got us here’

With the Jags implementing 3-4 looks on defense, Josh Allen can return to the position he played in college as an edge-rushing linebacker.

Jacksonville’s front seven needs to improve significantly in 2021. It was one of the worst units in the league last year, finishing 30th against the run and 31st in sacks. That fact isn’t lost on Josh Allen, the third-year edge rusher expected to develop into a leader of the group, alongside linebacker Myles Jack.

“Last year was last year,” Allen said on Tuesday after organized team activities. “We have a whole new different group, we have a whole new different scheme, we have a whole new different coaching staff that’s going to help us get to where we need. Game one, we’re going to get right and we’re going to apply a lot more pressure.

“We’re all going to get better for that, and I can’t wait.”

At the center of the expected improvement is the new system being implemented by defensive coordinator Joe Cullen. Previously, Jacksonville ran almost exclusively 4-3 packages, with Allen and 2020 first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson largely playing with their hand in the dirt.

But now, the team will implement more 3-4 looks, allowing Allen and Chaisson to play as a standup, rushing outside linebackers. That’s the position both played in college, and it should be more natural than what they were previously asked to do.

Allen said the pair is excited to be back to playing the position that made them so productive at the college level.

“We’re playing what got us here, so going back to those habits, going back to those traits, I feel like it’s a good sign for both of us – [] Smoot as well,” Allen said. “I’m just excited to see us put pads on so we can really put that to use and make a lot of plays.

“We’re all making plays so as long as we all continue to do that, no matter who we have out there, we’ll be straight.”

Both Allen and Chaisson are looking for bounce-back seasons, as the former was limited to just eight games with injury and the latter failed to make much of an impact as a rookie. With the new scheme, expectations are high for both.

Poll: How many sacks will Josh Allen net in 2021?

Allen had a bit of a sophomore slump, but he’s expected to have a big year in a new scheme more suited to his talents.

The 2020 season was disappointing for the entire Jacksonville Jaguars’ team, but no one fell short of expectations quite as much as Josh Allen. Injuries can largely be to blame for that, but even when healthy, Allen’s production dropped off. After earning 10.5 sacks as a rookie, he totaled just 2.5 in his eight games last season. He also only managed 13 total tackles compared to the 44 he netted in 2019.

But there’s reason to believe last season was mostly an aberration. Though it didn’t hold him back much as a rookie, Allen has been playing out of position since the Jags drafted him. In college, he was an edge-rushing outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but in Jacksonville, he’s had to play the part of a classic, 4-3 defensive end. That doesn’t exactly suit Allen’s athletic skill set, and it likely impacted his ability to produce.

That’s going to change in 2021, though. Previous defensive coordinator Todd Wash is gone, and he’s been replaced with former Baltimore Ravens defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who brings with him the Ravens’ defensive scheme. Baltimore runs multiple formations, but it runs a lot more 3-4 than the Jaguars previously did.

That means that Allen will be back to playing the role that made him a standout draft prospect at Kentucky, and given that fact, what are fair expectations of him?

At the very least, he should be back right around where he was as a rookie. His 10.5 sack total from that year is nothing to scoff at, but he did it starting only four games. Even factoring in the potential for injuries and a learning curve within the new scheme, Allen should be able to get pretty close to, if not exceed that number.

Last year’s top-five sack leaders all expected 12, with T.J. Watt leading the pack at 15, so Allen will likely need to exceed his rookie numbers by a bit if he’s going to be competitive in the race for the sacks title. What do you think, Jaguars fans? Would you take the over or the under on Allen replicating his 10.5-sack season? Let us know in the poll down below.

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PFF has Josh Allen among the better edge defenders in the NFL in 2021

Pro Football Focus ranked the third-year Jaguars player as the No. 30 edge rusher in the NFL heading into the 2021 season.

It’s a big third year coming up in 2021 for Josh Allen, who Jacksonville selected within the top-10 selections back in 2018. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2019, finishing with 44 tackles and 10.5 sacks, the latter figure being the 14th best mark in the NFL.

He only started four games over the course of the season, but he saw action off the bench in every game. And after a Pro Bowl season as a rookie, Allen was expected to make a major leap in 2020.

That didn’t exactly happen. Allen was limited to just eight games (and seven starts) as he was placed on the injured reserve with a knee injury in late November. He finished the season with just 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

But with new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen in town, Allen should be able to thrive as an edge rusher in his new multiple defense. With this in mind, PFF projects Allen to be among the league’s better edge defenders in 2020, having him ranked No. 30 of the 32 players listed.

Allen got out to a strong start as a rookie with Jacksonville in 2019, recording a 70.2 pass-rushing grade at a position that often takes some time for younger players to acclimate. He didn’t have a full opportunity to build on that momentum last season, given the injury that limited him to fewer than 400 snaps on the year, but Allen did raise his pass-rushing grade by four points in his limited action. He’s a strong third-year breakout candidate in 2021.

Though it’s clear Allen still has a lot to prove, an injury-plagued year during an 1-15 season doesn’t seem like the best indicator of Allen’s development. The Jaguars will have more depth on the edge this season as well with free-agent signing Jihad Ward and fourth-round draft pick Jordan Smith.

Jacksonville won’t have to ask nearly as much of Allen next season, and he can focus on what he does best: putting pressure on, harassing and forcing mistakes from the quarterback.

Jags’ fourth-round pick Jordan Smith signs contract

The fourth-round pick made things official with Jacksonville on Tuesday afternoon by signing his rookie deal.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially added another player from their 2021 draft class to the team’s roster. After sixth-round pick Jalen Camp signed his contract on Monday, pass rusher Jordan Smith, who the team traded up to take with its second fourth-round pick, agreed to terms with the team on Tuesday.

Smith was a 2020 All-Conference USA First-Team selection for his efforts in his final year at Alabama-Birmingham. Smith became the first player from the program to be drafted since it returned from a football hiatus in 2017, and he had 12.5 sacks in 21 games with the Blazers.

The Jaguars liked what they saw from Smith’s production in the Group of Five, as they chose to move up nine spots to take him with the 121st overall selection, ultimately costing them a pick. Coach Urban Meyer has said that although he is raw, the coaches see Smith eventually developing into a reliable backup for Josh Allen.

As much as Jacksonville addressed the interior this offseason, the edge was a bit of an afterthought as Jihad Ward was the only addition that fits that skillset aside from Smith. Both should see significant opportunities in the rotation behind Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson in 2021.

If injuries limit either of those two like they did in 2020, the Jags should be much more prepared for that situation from a depth perspective.

Josh Allen discusses new-look Jags on ‘Good Morning Football’

Jacksonville’s 2018 first-round pick is thrilled with the changes the franchise made this offseason.

This Jacksonville franchise looks a lot different than the one Josh Allen was drafted into just three years ago. When Allen arrived, Doug Marrone was still the head coach, newly acquired free agent quarterback Nick Foles was the starter under center, and the Jags were just a few months removed from an AFC title game appearance.

Now, that’s all changed. Marrone has been replaced with a first-time NFL guy in legendary college coach Urban Meyer, Foles has long since been traded and has now been replaced by Trevor Lawrence, and Jacksonville has a league-worst 1-15 season in the rearview.

But in an appearance on “Good Morning Football,” Allen said he’s excited about the new-look Jaguars team, especially now that it has a franchise quarterback in Lawrence. Allen said he reached out to Lawrence immediately after the team selected him.

“I hit him up as soon as he got drafted. I let him know I got his back…,” Allen said. “Personally, I know he’s going to light the scoreboard up. Especially with all the receivers and running backs we got. I’m excited to see that.”

As Allen alluded to, this will be a young offense, but it’s a talented group that includes running back James Robinson, who had a standout rookie year in 2020 as an undrafted free agent, as well as receivers D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault. And if there’s one thing Meyer’s good at, it’s developing successful offense.

Allen spoke of Meyer as if he’s been a breath of fresh air for the franchise.

“It’s everything we needed so far,” Allen said. “He’s doing everything he can to make this team great. I like Coach Meyer personally. I’m ready to get rocking.”

For fans, it should be encouraging to see that Meyer is building relationships with the star players in the building like Allen. One of the biggest differences between coaching in the NFL and coaching in college is the fact that you have to manage highly paid professionals instead of college students, many of whom are teenagers.

Only time will tell if Meyer can bridge that gap successfully, but based on Allen’s comments, it certainly sounds like he’s off to a great start.

Josh Allen feels a sense of “rejuvenation” with new coach, position change

The third-year edge rusher said that he feels “rejuvenated” by the new staff coming to town and the change to a 3-4 front.

It was a disappointing season in 2020 for everyone on Jacksonville’s roster, but perhaps no one would like to put it behind him more than Josh Allen. After totaling 10.5 sacks as a rookie in 2019, he was limited to just eight games with injuries and managed just 2.5 sacks last year.

However, with the new coaching staff in town, Allen said he feels “rejuvenated”, according to a report from ESPN’s Mike DiRocco — both by the energy head coach Urban Meyer brings to the table and by the position change brought about by the new defensive system.

“It’s just a different environment, different vibe, like I just feel about this team and this year and this coaching staff,” Allen said. “It’s just I feel like I really haven’t felt this passion and this driven [since] I first got here. When I first got here I was all-in, I was ready, and then stepping back to this year, man, it’s just another … rejuvenation.”

Though Allen didn’t have any firsthand experience with Meyer before he was hired, he was well aware of his reputation at the college ranks. He said the two quickly got along, and Meyer has done a good job building connections throughout the team.

“The name has always stood out as one of the best coaches in college football in recent years, for him being at Ohio State and him coaching at Florida,” Allen said. “So … I always knew who he was and just having him as a coach, realizing he’s about to be my next head coach, it was kind of surreal for a little moment.

“When I did meet him it was like we took two or three days to get familiar with each other and now I feel like I’ve known him over a year or two years now. We’re building a connection and it’s not just with me. He’s building a connection with everybody throughout the locker room and throughout the building just in general.”

With Meyer comes a new defensive scheme. Allen managed to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie despite playing out of position under previous defensive coordinator Todd Wash, but the problems became much more apparent in 2020. In college at Kentucky, he played primarily as a 3-4 outside linebacker as opposed to the 4-3 down lineman spot he’s been playing so far in Jacksonville.

New defensive coordinator Joe Cullen has discussed the Jaguars’ scheme, saying the team will run a “hybrid” front that shows multiple looks but will include more 3-4 than in the past. Allen said he was thrilled to hear of the change.

“I was screaming it to my wife when we found out [the Jaguars were switching to a 3-4],” Allen said. “That’s the reason why I’m here [in the NFL] and then transitioning to play defensive end my first and second year was a transition, but it was a transition that I was willing to make and that I had to make and that I felt like I could make at the time.

“But now being able to go back to those roots that really got me here, I can really get more swag out there. In my terms, I feel like I have more swag. I feel like I can move around more. I feel like I can be more active in the front.”

Jacksonville will hope Allen, who it selected with the seventh overall pick two years ago, can return to the level of play he demonstrated during his rookie season with the new staff. And if he’s really more comfortable as a 3-4 linebacker, perhaps he could surpass it.

Josh Allen, Daniel Thomas, D.J. Hayden all placed on IR

The Jacksonville Jaguars placed several notable names from their defense on injured reserve Tuesday in defensive end Josh Allen (knee), nickleback D.J. Hayden (knee), and rookie safety Daniel Thomas (arm). All three decisions came after a Week 11 …

The Jacksonville Jaguars placed several notable names from their defense on injured reserve Tuesday in defensive end Josh Allen (knee), nickleback D.J. Hayden (knee), and rookie safety Daniel Thomas (arm). All three decisions came after a Week 11 battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which left the Jags severely wounded heading into Week 12.

For Hayden, his season will now end because it’s his second time on IR. With it being a contract year for him, Week 11’s game against the Steelers could be his last as a Jaguar. Hayden will exit this season with 18 tackles and a pass breakup.

Like Hayden, Allen also exited Sunday’s game early and had to be helped off the field by trainers with a knee injury. He received good news earlier in the week as it was revealed he had no ligament damage though he’ll miss three weeks or more.

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Thomas is a player who flashed on various occasions since the bye and started in two games against the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. He also blocked a punt against the Los Angeles Chargers and snagged a interception Sunday against the Steelers. He currently has 18 total tackles (16 solo) and two pass deflections.

Allen and Thomas will be eligible to return after three games. That means it might not be until Week 15’s game against the Baltimore Ravens until we see both or either player take the field in 2020 — if at all.

Josh Allen knee injury not believed to be severe, ligaments weren’t damaged

Early Monday morning, Ian Rapoport reported that the injury is believed not to be a severe one based on his initial tests.

The Jacksonville Jaguars endured a lot of injuries during their Week 11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the most significant was the knee injury defensive end Josh Allen suffered. After he was helped off the field by trainers and unable to put weight on it, many were concerned about the severity, however, according to several reports, it appears he dodged a bullet.

Early Monday morning, Ian Rapoport reported that the injury is believed not to be a severe one based on his initial tests. Later in the day, Doug Marrone added to that by saying Allen could miss time although the injury didn’t involve ligament damage.

This is certainly good news for Allen and the team, though it looks like there is a chance he could end the season on injured reserve. With the Jags knocking on the door of being eliminated from playoff contention, Allen’s impact was unlikely to make a big enough difference to change the outcome of the season anyway.

Allen hasn’t had the season he was quite hoping for with just 13 total tackles and 2.3 sacks on the season. However, the same could be said for the rest of the defensive line who haven’t helped all that much aside from Doug Costin and DaVon Hamilton, who are starting to find their way.

With Allen’s situation unfolding, it looks as though the Cleveland Browns’ chances to put the Jags at double-digit losses are pretty high. Add in the rest of the injuries the Jags endured Sunday, and their chances for a win look even slimmer for Week 12.