The Jacksonville Jaguars have the cap space necessary to add a free agent pass rusher who could help the team in its push to defend its AFC South crown. There’s also no shortage of fans who hope the Jaguars will pursue a trade for the Minnesota Vikings’ Danielle Hunter.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson says he isn’t too worried about it, though.
“Well, number one, [we’re] really comfortable,” Pederson said of the team’s current stable of pass rushers on Wednesday.
Last season, the Jaguars finished 26th in the NFL in sacks. Dawuane Smoot finished second on the team in sacks, but is recovering on the PUP list from an Achilles tear that ended his 2022 season. Arden Key finished third in sacks before leaving in free agency to join the Tennessee Titans.
“I say comfortable, but really need to see Travon [Walker] take another step this year,” Pederson said. “We need to see Josh [Allen] continue to improve and get better.
“You just don’t go out and get a player that you think can ‘fix’ a spot. Our job, as coaches, is to make sure that we coach our players and that’s what we’re going to do in this camp and particularly when we get the pads on. We like the guys we have, obviously, and we’re comfortable with that.”
While there are high hopes for the duo of Allen and Walker, depth beyond those two is a concern. Fifth-round rookie Yasir Abdullah could prove to be a steal, but for now, Pederson said Wednesday that former first-rounder K’Lavon Chaisson is the third pass rusher on the depth chart. Chaisson has three career sacks in as many years.
The reality is that Jacksonville could use help getting to opposing quarterbacks, but Pederson isn’t going to say it. If general manager Trent Baalke sees a chance to upgrade, he has plenty of resources to make it happen.
