Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is receiving a lot of headlines this week for his first game against new Washington quarterback Carson Wentz. The pair were together for five years in Philadelphia, even winning a Super Bowl.
While that makes for a fun media storyline, it’s something Pederson isn’t overly concerned with.
Instead, Pederson is worried about Washington’s talented defensive line. While defensive end Chase Young remains out as he recovers from knee surgery, Pederson knows Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat all too well from his time with the Eagles.
“First of all, Chase is a great player,” Pederson said per John Dillon of Jaguars Wire. “I’ve seen him in my former life, played against him—not me personally playing, but I’ve coached against him—great player. He’s going to be missed by that team and that front. He’s a leader there, but the other guys are just as good. Washington has spent a lot of resources on that defensive line over the years, and these are really good players. It really doesn’t matter who they plug in. There are some game wreckers there. A guy like Luke Fortner (OL), first time in there with these two big guys, physical guys. It’ll be fun to watch these two the whole game. They give you a bunch of different looks, multiple looks, and things we have to be prepared for.”
The Commanders struggled to get pressure on opposing passers last season, outside of Allen. For Washington to defeat the Jags in Week 1, it will need a big effort against Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence and former teammate Brandon Scherff.
