Jacksonville’s defense had one of its best performances in a long time on Sunday. Though the unit had struggled against the likes of Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater, and Geno Smith, it showed up against one of the league’s most explosive offenses, holding the Buffalo Bills to just six points in a three-point win.
There’s reason to believe this is an improving group, but it could still use some help, especially up front. Coach Urban Meyer has talked a lot about how the interior of the defensive line needs to do a better job of getting a push in pass-rushing situations, and while the unit has been solid against the run, most of the pressure is coming from guys on the edge.
But when looking to steal a player from Indianapolis’ roster, there’s one clear candidate who would help the interior pass-rushing woes: defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. The Colts made a splashy move trading for Buckner, who had 12 sacks with the San Francisco 49ers in 2018, ahead of last season.
That move has largely paid off. After the former seventh-overall pick’s production dipped to 7.5 sacks in 2019, he was a First-Team All-Pro after his 9.5 sack season in 2020 (in which he also had a career-high 26 quarterback hits). He’s off to another solid start this year, notching four sacks and 42 tackles so far, though he’s only put nine hits on the quarterback.
The interior of the defensive line was largely untouched this offseason aside from the additions of Roy Robertson-Harris in free agency and Malcom Brown in a trade with the New Orleans Saints. A player like Buckner could fundamentally transform this defensive line, and pairing him up with Josh Allen on the edge would be a tantalizing possibility.
The Jags are likely to let Taven Bryan walk after the season in spite of his two-sack performance on Sunday, and Brown is more of a rotational player than anything else. The interior of the defensive line needs a dominating player, and that will likely be the position the Jags look to address in a defense-heavy 2022 draft class.