Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew won’t be the only member from the 2019 draft class who fans are excited to watch as the same could be applied for pass-rusher Josh Allen. As the Jags’ first draft selection of last season, Allen didn’t disappoint, putting together arguably the best season of any defensive player in team history. While participating in all 16 games (with four starts), he registered 44 tackles, a 2019 and rookie franchise high of 10.5 sacks, and earned a Pro Bowl nod.
However, despite such success, Allen knows he must step up his game in 2020. There won’t be veterans like Calais Campbell, Marcell Dareus, A.J. Bouye, and perhaps not even Yannick Ngakoue alongside him this season. For that reason, the second-year pass-rusher trained hard this offseason, and in return, he’s hoping it makes him a complete player.
“Being a complete player,” said Allen when asked about what he specifically trained for this offseason by the media Wednesday. “I feel like I work on pass rushes, but I worked on my whole game. It’s so big to get caught up in the sacks – this is just talking about people in the NFL – it’s so big to get caught up in the sacks if you’re considered a pass rusher and I’m not trying to be considered as just pass rusher. I am trying to be considered a great defensive player.”
Allen’s statements echo the sentiments we’ve heard out of him in the past, especially during his stint at Kentucky while serving as a leader for the Wildcats. That said, if he can take the jump fans believe he can and showcase his all around game with it, Allen definitely should find himself ranked amongst to top-100 players of the league.
In 2019, Allen’s success went under the radar because Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers overshadowed him. However, it would be hard to overlook him in 2020 if Allen achieves his goal of being a complete player, even if he is playing in a situation where he will have less exposure.