Tag: Arik Armstead

‘One-on-one game’: Jaguars’ Ryan Nielsen on Josh Allen, matchups

‘One-on-one game’: Jaguars’ Ryan Nielsen on Josh Allen, matchups

Of Josh Allen’s 869 snaps along the Jaguars’ defensive front in 2023, 797 (91.7%, per Pro Football Focus) were logged on the right side of the line, against the left side of the opposing offensive line.

While Allen reached a single-season career-high 17.5 sacks last season and, as a result, received the biggest contract extension in Jaguars’ history in April, his positional snap-split should be expected to change moving forward.

New Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said as much Monday, discussing the versatility his scheme will demand of players with reporters before Jacksonville’s first offseason team activity (OTA).

“We don’t want [Allen] just to be on the right side and they know he’s right here all the time and they can chip or put a tight end to his side and take what he does away,” Nielsen explained when asked about Allen’s deployment.

“Then we’ve got to beat two guys to get to the quarterback. So if we move him, it makes him a little bit harder for an offense to find out and identify where he’s at every snap.”

Nielsen’s comment about Allen represents his big-picture approach to coordinating Jacksonville’s defense.

The 45-year-old, first-year Jaguars play-caller spoke about the importance of avoiding placing players in “pigeonholes,” instead allowing them to test multiple positions within his defensive scheme throughout the offseason, specifically during OTAs.

The thought process applies across the board, whether that’s edge rushers flipping sides or sliding into the interior defensive line; off-ball linebackers rotating between the middle, weak-side and strong-side spots; or defensive backs aligning at nickel corner in addition to cornerback or safety duties.

“We’re going to put them at these different positions in OTAs because it’s a great opportunity to see what guys can do,” Nielsen said. “Then as we see their job and if they can do certain jobs [and] then we’ll start to fine-tune a package more for their skill set.”

This isn’t a new practice for the rising second-season NFL defensive coordinator. Nielsen followed the same philosophy throughout his pro-play-calling debut campaign with Atlanta in 2023.

Of the Falcons’ 11 most-frequently deployed defenders under Nielsen last year, four spent at least 25% of their defensive snaps away from what could be considered their primary position, per PFF: Defensive tackle David Onyemata, inside linebacker Kaden Elliss, and safeties Jessie Bates III and Richie Grant.

Accounting for field-side (snaps at left vs. right inside linebacker, for example), all 11 defenders would qualify.

The Jaguars retooled their defense this offseason in addition to their change at coordinator.

The club allowed several starters and key contributors to leave via free agency or release before adding veterans in defensive lineman Arik Armstead, Ronald Darby and Darnell Savage to the unit in March.

Draft prospects, defensive linemen Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson, cornerbacks Jarrian Jones and Deantre Prince, and EDGE Myles Cole, followed in April.

Paired with Allen, former first overall EDGE Travon Walker, linebacker and two-time NFL leading tackler Foyesade Oluokun, and vested starting defensive backs Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco, among others, these players will occupy various roles in the months to come as Nielsen determines optimal personnel packages for the Jaguars’ defense.

“It’s a matchup game, right?” Nielsen pondered. “We want to have the best matchups for our guys to have success. So, we’ll manipulate the front, covers, and things that we’re doing to put our guys in the best matchups for them and then ultimately play our best defense and win games.

“Football, a lot of it is a one-on-one game.”

Josh Allen resets Jaguars’ expectations after mishandled 2023 season

Josh Allen resets Jaguars’ expectations after mishandled 2023 season: “We thought we would just maintain.”

New Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead welcomed his teammate, edge rusher Josh Allen, onto his “Third and Long” podcast Wednesday for over an hour, to discuss Jacksonville’s food scene, Allen’s football upbringing and time with the Jaguars, and among other topics relating to the team, what led to its collapse during the 2023 season.

The latter conversation was prompted by Armstrong asking Allen for his expectations for Jacksonville in 2024, leading the edge rusher to rekindle what was anticipated of the Jaguars last year.

After a run to the AFC Divisional Round in 2022-23, Jacksonville’s first playoff trip since 2017-18, the Jaguars began the 2023 season with an 8-3 record, at one point ripping off five victories in a row, only to finish 9-8 and miss out on postseason action.

“The expectation starts with how we handle our day-to-day. I think it starts there because, you know, for us, after [head coach] Doug’s [Pederson] first year, we set a very high expectation for us … that we thought we would just maintain,” Allen suggested.

“But then we hit a little bit of adversity and we kind of hit a wall. We didn’t know how to get out of that wall.”

The wall was in the form of four consecutive December losses. The impact was similar to that of a ton of bricks.

Allen pointed toward the team’s offseason free agency signings of veterans like Armstead, safety Darnell Savage and center Mitch Morse as examples of the Jaguars’ effort to bolster their roster with players equipped to handle adversity.

Each contributor has multiple seasons’ worth of playoff experience, with Armstead having played in two Super Bowls. Aside from winning it all, they’ve been to and done what the Jaguars aspire to accomplish.

But it will take more than new, yet seasoned faces to get the Jaguars to where they want to be. Some aspects of the approach remain to be determined.

“To be honest with you, brother, these are things that we, as a leadership group, need to still figure out,” Allen acknowledged.

Allen admitted that he was removed from his typical leadership responsibilities last season as he was without team captain status, unlike the three campaigns prior. He notably did not attend Jacksonville’s voluntary offseason team activities last year amid speculation about his contract status.

He’s since signed a five-year, $141.3 million extension with the club, in April. Whether he regains his former captainship role this season or not, Allen intends to be more involved in leading his teammates and having a better sense of their thought process moving forward.

He considers the notion last season to have been overconfidence, that the team mishandled their own expectations, leading to a deficit in confidence in one another.

“In my mind, I just think it was, I don’t know, thinking that we can win every game. We had the talent to compete against any and everybody,” Allen said. “I can’t make an excuse [for] why we lost. But I know that feeling that we went through, and it was very — you know, trust. I think we lost a lot of trust between each other.”

In order to return to postseason play, trust must be rebuilt across the organization, Allen proposed. It goes beyond the players and includes the coaching staff, with several new faces on the defensive side, including coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

“I think that’s one thing that we need to focus on this year, that togetherness. And that’s all phases of the game. First of all, that’s players because we play the game. It’s also coaches and players having trust within the coaches,” Allen stated. “Knowing that we can go to any of these coaches just as a group, honestly, like, ‘Hey, this is where we’re at, can we change this?’ Or can we modify, or can we find a trust and a balance between?

“Obviously, it’s a business and we understand that. But having that balance to go and build that trust within each other, and I do think it starts today. Every phase. Training camp, it’s a huge phase, but we’re battling every day. We’re competing, we’ve got to compete. But you know, I think it’s building that trust.”

Armstead understood where Allen was coming from, noting that the best teams he’s been on in his nine-year NFL career have also been the closest. They’ve had camaraderie and played with a purpose, for each other’s benefit.

He believes his pairing with Allen in Jacksonville will pay dividends in re-energizing the team and, ultimately, get the Jaguars back on track.

“Me and you are going to be a huge catalyst for that heading into this season. That’s something I’m excited about working on and building and getting turned around for us and our team,” Armstead told Allen.

“I’m really excited about this year. Looking at 2024 and this season coming up, obviously, our division is going to be tough. I think teams in the division got better, for sure. But I feel like we got a lot better, too.”

Arik Armstead reveals ‘disrespectful’ 49ers offer that ended tenure

Arik Armstead says he was “extremely disrespected” by the 49ers’ contract offer and decided to bet on himself in free agency.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ biggest addition in March, both physically and financially, was 6’7 defensive lineman Arik Armstead.

Armstead, 30, hit the free agency market when he was released by the San Francisco 49ers earlier this month after nine seasons with the team. In an episode of his Third and Long podcast released Thursday, Armstead revealed the details of his frustrating negotiations with the 49ers that eventually resulted in his release.

“They did notify me that they did want to extend me,” Armstead said. “They wanted me to be a Niner for life and remain on the team, but they didn’t say what that number would be at. The offseason kept progressing and, finally, they told me I was going to have to take a significant pay cut.”

That wasn’t too surprising as Armstead was due to count $28.35 million against the 49ers’ salary cap in 2024. That would’ve been the highest for any NFL defensive lineman following Aaron Donald’s contract restructure and retirement.

But the drastic difference in pay that was proposed by the 49ers insulted Armstead.

“They extended an offer to me of $6 million on a one-year deal with incentives to go up to like $8 [million],” Armstead said. “When they sent that over, I did feel extremely disrespected. I don’t feel that that level of compensation is nowhere near the type of player that I am.

“Not even just the type of player that I am. What I have committed to the game, what I’ve committed to my team, what I’ve committed to the organization and my community. I didn’t feel like it was representative of who I am as a player and a person.”

Armstead, a four-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, said he had moments of self-doubt before coming to a revelation about his worth.

“Just talking to myself, I was like ‘Nah bro, if 32 teams had an opportunity to have me on their team for $6 million, I think every team in the league would do that in a heartbeat.’ Once I made that decision in my head, I was like I can’t accept this,” Armstead said.

The bet on himself clearly paid off as he scooped up $28 million guaranteed from the Jaguars and is due to make $43.5 million over the next three years.

Yet, despite the rocky end to his time with the 49ers, Armstead also said he isn’t holding any grudges.

“First off, I don’t have any animosity toward the organization, Kyle [Shanahan], John [Lynch], the York family” Armstead said. “I have a lot of respect and admiration for them and my time with them. Even with this situation, it’s not on me to decide how they want to build their team and who they want to pay and how they want to build they roster. That’s not my decision. Business is business.”

That business led Armstead to reunite with the general manager who drafted him, Trent Baalke, in Jacksonville.

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Arik Armstead ‘disrespected’ by 49ers contract offer

The veteran defensive tackle reveals he was “disrespected” by a contract offer from the 49ers.

While free agency has brought in a wave of new faces for the San Francisco 49ers, the start of their offseason was headlined by a notable departure. After reportedly wanting Arik Armstead to take a pay cut, the 49ers released the veteran defensive lineman at the start of free agency.

After becoming a free agent, Armstead inked a 3-year, $51 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

During his recent podcast “Third and Long” via The Tidal League, Armstead spoke about his departure from San Francisco and feeling “disrespected” by the 49ers contract offer.

Via Third and Long – The Tidal League:

They extended an offer to me of $6 million for a one-year deal with incentives to go up to like eight. When they sent that over, I did feel extremely disrespected. I don’t feel that level of compensation is nowhere near the type of player that I am — not even just the type of player that I am —  it’s what I’ve committed to the game, what I’ve committed to my team, what I’ve committed to my organization and my community. I didn’t feel like it was representative of who I am as a player and a person.

I put a lot into what I do. I’m not just a guy who goes to practice, goes home, and does all the bare minimum team stuff just to get by. I’m a guy who watches the most film, invests the most time in my body, preparation, working on my game, and working on my craft. I have a real passion for this—a true love for this.

I know for a fact that I do a lot more than a majority of players. I put a lot more into football than a majority of players. I think that has value as well too. Also too I value myself as a player in a multitude of ways in what I do. My approach. My intrinsic value as well. I didn’t feel like that offer was anywhere near the level of compensation for a player like me.

Listen to Armstead’s full podcast via YouTube:

Armstead was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Oregon. In nine seasons with the 49ers, Armstead racked up 32.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss.

With Armstead signing in Jacksonville, the 49ers brought in multiple players on the defensive line in free agency. Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Jordan Elliot all signed with the 49ers along with acquiring veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins in a trade with the Houston Texans.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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DaVon Hamilton ‘trending in the right direction’ after tough 2023

Doug Pederson is optimistic that DaVon Hamilton will be back to himself in 2024 after his 2023 season was derailed.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton is on the path back to full strength after his 2023 season was derailed by a non-football related back issue.

“All indications this offseason are that he’s trending in the right direction; he’s getting back,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters earlier this week. “I’m excited for that and I know he is too. We missed that piece last year and, even though he played late [in the season], he just wasn’t the same.”

Hamilton received a contract extension last year and appeared primed for a breakout season when an infection from a spinal abscess sidelined him in August.

“A lot of stuff was going on,” Hamilton told Jaguars.com in December. “A lot of side effects were going on. I was in a weird place. This isn’t really a normal illness, or a normal infection people get. It was very strange. I feel very fortunate. There was a lot of stuff that could have happened. I could be not playing football permanently.”

Hamilton returned in October, but only played 30 snaps in two games before he was scratched for the next two. By the season’s end, Hamilton appeared in eight games but earned a dismal 36.2 grade from PFF — less than half his 72.6 grade from 2022.

Without much help from the 335-pound defensive tackle, the Jaguars struggled to generate much pressure from the interior as Josh Allen and Travon Walker combined for more than two-thirds of the team’s sack total. Jacksonville also allowed three of its last six opponents to rack up more than 150 rushing yards.

The Jaguars opened up the pocketbooks to add Arik Armstead to their defensive line to help fix those issues. But getting a renewed version of Hamilton would go a long way too.

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Arik Armstead looking to help the Jaguars get ‘over the hump’ in 2024

Arik Armstead says he can provide his Jaguars teammates advice on how to handle the Super Bowl stage “when we get there.”

After nine seasons with the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft, Arik Armstead hit free agency for the first time in his career last week when he was released by the San Francisco 49ers.

So what did the 30-year-old defensive lineman with two career Super Bowl appearances hope to find in his hunt for a new team?

“My goal was to find the next stage of my career in some place that I feel comfortable, that valued me as a player as well too, and a place I can take the next step and grow in,” Armstead said Monday. “A place that’s competitive and that I feel I can come in and help get them over the hump.

“The Jags were a good team before me and whenever I enter a situation, not just in football but in life in general when I’m meeting people and when I’m entering situations working with people, I want to make the place better than when I found it. I want to a positive impact in. I think this team was already a phenomenal team and I think I can help get them to the next level.”

Jacksonville finished each of the last two seasons with 9-8 records. That was enough for an AFC South title in the 2022 season, but it left the Jaguars on the outside this January.

The Jaguars hope that their new additions, headlined by the 6’7 defensive lineman, will be enough to turn the team into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. And Armstead is mincing no words: he envisions being on that stage with the Jaguars.

“This team has Super Bowl aspirations and when we get there, I’ve already been through that, and I know what it’s going to look like and what to expect,” Armstead said.

The Jaguars have been to the AFC Championship three times (1996, 1999, 2017) in the franchise’s three-decade history, but have never reached the Super Bowl.

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New details on Bengals wanting DJ Reader and Sheldon Rankins, interest in Arik Armstead

An insider details how the Bengals played the free agency market.

The Cincinnati Bengals would’ve liked to pair DJ Reader with new arrival Sheldon Rankins on the defensive line in 2024.

But as fans know, Reader went on to sign with the Detroit Lions in free agency, revealing that he was a little surprised with how things worked out with the Bengals.

Thanks to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com linking up with the likes of director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic and senior personnel executive Trey Brown, we now have a little more information about how the market developed and another player the team liked:

But then it got hard for Radicevic and Trey Brown as they focused on re-signing nose tackle DJ Reader. The frustration grew with the escalating deals for the defensive tackles. They were talking to players like Reader and the just-released Arik Armstead, among others. Others didn’t have passing grades or weren’t locker-room fits.

One of the other reported players that presumably didn’t fit for one reason or another was Teair Tart. With Armstead, Jacksonville giving him $51 million over three years probably pushed the Bengals out of their comfort zone.

If nothing else, the interest in other guys shows the front office still views the area as a massive need, properly thinking of the schematic hole they now have at the nose.

Comments from the organization back this up, too.

“It was a good market for D-Tackles. I think a lot of teams saw what was coming in the draft and felt the need to spend there,” Radicevic said, per Hobson. “We were hopeful to try and keep DJ. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I think Rankins is going to do a great job filling a different type of void.”

While many fans understandably focus on offensive tackle even after the addition of Trent Brown, the way the Bengals played the market and comments suggest that interior of the defensive line is right there as a priority as early as Round 1, too.

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Arik Armstead is wasting no time learning Jaguars’ defense, rivalries

Arik Armstead has only been a member of the Jaguars for two days, but he already knows the Titans are public enemy No. 1.

New Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead has only been a member of the team for a couple days, but the former San Francisco 49ers lineman is getting caught up quickly.

His first order of business after signing a three-year, $51 million deal with the team was to ask fans what he needs to know about Duval. One Jaguars fan made sure he knew the really important thing: the Tennessee Titans are not well-liked in Jacksonville.

Armstead, 30, also got straight to work on preparing himself for the next season.

The Jaguars are hoping the former first-round pick and four-time team captain of the 49ers will provide their defensive line with a much needed boost. While the duo of Josh Allen and Travon Walker teamed up for 27.5 sacks, every other player on the Jacksonville defense combined for just 12.5.

Jacksonville’s run defense was also lacking down the stretch, allowing three of its last six opponents to rack up more than 150 rushing yards.

If Armstead hits the ground running with the Jaguars, it could be exactly the upgrade the team needs to get back to the postseason. And it looks like Armstead is getting straight to business learning how to be a fan favorite in Duval.

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49ers officially announce release of DL Arik Armstead

It’s official: Arik Armstead has been released.

The Arik Armstead era is over in San Francisco. The 49ers on Wednesday announced his release as part of their roster moves to kick off the new league year. They also officially announced the return of quarterback Brandon Allen and a one-year extension for offensive lineman Colton McKivitz.

There was a little optimism entering Wednesday that the 49ers might be able to find a deal with Armstead where he returned at a lower salary number, but he opted for free agency as was originally reported. It became clear his return wasn’t happening once the 49ers’ acquisition of defensive tackle Maliek Collins in a trade with the Texans was reported.

By waiting until the start of the new league year to let Armstead go the 49ers can designate him as a post-June 1 release which saves them a ton of money against the cap. They’ll still eat $10,313,824 in dead cap, but they’ll save $18,039,412 against the cap in June by giving him a post-June 1 designation.

Armstead is now free to sign with another club.

The 49ers selected Armstead No. 17 overall in the 2015 draft. He put together a terrific nine seasons in San Francisco where he posted 33.5 sacks and became a vital piece of their defensive line after dealing with a slew of injuries in the early part of his career. Armstead is still a versatile defender and run stopper, and he won’t be 31 until November.

Injuries forced him to miss 13 games the last two seasons, but when he’s been healthy he’s been a productive player who should be able to help a defensive line.

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Report: Arik Armstead to test free agency after release from San Francisco 49ers

Former Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Arik Armstead is expected to test free agency after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.

One of the best Pro Ducks in the NFL is set to hit free agency, where the open market is likely to be very kind to him.

On Sunday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that former Duck Arik Armstead and the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers were unable to reach an agreement in contract talks this offseason, and the elite defensive lineman was going to be released and allowed to test free agency starting this week.

Armstead had 5 sacks for the 49ers during their run to the Super Bowl in 2023, and he has stood as one of the most consistent pieces of the defense for San Francisco during his nine-year career.

We will see over the coming days and weeks where Armstead is going to end up, but there will likely be a solid market for him, with many contending teams often looking for veteran defensive linemen to put them over the top and get them into the championship contention.

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