When Dave Caldwell and Gus Bradley were hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2013, they took over a team that had just finished 30th in the NFL in both yards and points allowed. After three full seasons at the helm, not much has changed for the Jacksonville defense on the stastical surface.
The 2015 Jags finished 24th in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed. In many other defensive metrics, things have largely stayed the same under the new regime as they were the year before they took over.
| JAGUARS DEFENSE (RANKS) | ||||||
| YEAR | YDS | YDS/PLAY | PTS | PTS/DRIVE | SCORE % | DVOA |
| 2012 | 6,088 (30) | 5.5 (20) | 444 (30) | 2.03 (24) | 39.8% (30) | 11.7% (28) |
| 2013 | 6,070 (27) | 5.6 (23) | 449 (28) | 2.14 (25) | 38.1% (26) | 10.9% (28) |
| 2014 | 5,932 (26) | 5.5 (21) | 412 (26) | 1.90 (22) | 36.3% (22) | 1.5% (20) |
| 2015 | 6,000 (24) | 5.4 (21) | 448 (31) | 2.05 (26) | 38.1% (26) | 9.7% (26) |
One thing that has changed drastically, though, is the personnel. Of the 32 players that stepped on the field for the Jaguars defense in 2012, only three remain with the team: linebacker Paul Posluszny and defensive linemen Ryan Davis and Tyson Alualu. The other 29 are all gone. Some, like Brandon Marshall, Terrance Knighton, Darryl Smith, and C.J. Mosley, are thriving to different extents elsewhere. Others are out of the league altogether.
In three offseasons prior to this one, the Jaguars devoted just north of 53 percent of their free agent spending to defensive players, but invested most of their draft capital (determined by the Jimmy Johnson draft value chart) in building out an offense. This offseason, though, the Jags ramped up the devotion to defense, using all but one of their draft picks on defensive players after spending nearly 60 percent of their free agent money on defense as well.
| JAGUARS SPENDING | ||
| YEAR | % FA $ ON D | % DRAFT CAP ON D |
| 2013 | 58.2% | 24.6% |
| 2014 | 49.4% | 3.9% |
| 2015 | 53.5% | 73.3% (11.3%)* |
| 2016 | 59.4% | 99.5% |
*Initial calculation includes No. 3 pick Dante Fowler Jr., who tore his ACL in camp and did not play in 2015. Parenthetical calculation does not include Fowler.
Six of Jacksonville's seven 2016 draft picks were used on defensive players, the lone exception being Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen. Their first two picks – former Florida State safety Jalen Ramsey and former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack – were considered by some to be the two best defensive players in the draft. After taking those two early, Jacksonville loaded up on defensive linemen in the second half of Day 2 and Day 3. Sheldon Day, Yannick Ngakoue, Tyrone Holmes and Jonathan Woodard can provide depth behind all those expensive free agents the Jags have dropped coin on over the last few years.
Malik Jackson got $85.5 million over five years to come to the Jaguars this offseason. Jared Odrick got $42.5 million over five years to leave the Dolphins for a more northern Florida locale last year. Sen'Derrick Marks and Roy Miller got four years apiece, for $18 million and $16.25 million, respectively, to join the Jags back in 2013. Only the Dolphins are devoting a greater cap figure to defensive linemen this year than the Jaguars, per Spotrac, and that's thanks to those signings, the re-signing of Alualu and the selection of Fowler with the No. 3 overall pick in 2015.
All that money and draft capital bought them a group that is now deep and versatile. Adding Jackson and the returning Fowler to a group that actually defended the run decently last season should add some pass rush spice to the unit. The Jags ranked 17th in run defense DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average, which adjusts performance for down, distance, and opponent) last season, per Football Outsiders, and they ranked 5th with 3.5 yards per carry allowed. The 2015 Jaguars did not get after the passer much, though. Their 36 sacks tied for 20th in the NFL and, adjusted for down, distance, and performance, their sack rate ranked only 24th. Jackson excelled at getting after the quarterback for Denver last season, and Fowler was a pass-rush specialist at Florida.
Putting more pressure on the quarterback, even if they don't sack the quarterback, can only help the back end of the defense. Jacksonville's league-worst pressure rate of 28.8 percent last season (per data compiled from Pro Football Focus) undoubtedly played a role in their 29-9 touchdown-to-interception allowed ratio last season. It should also help that they have infused the secondary with more talent over the last few years as well.
The secondary is the one level of defense on which the Jaguars don't have any holdovers from the previous era. They've used seven draft picks and three free agent signings over the last few offseasons to completely remake the group. Ramsey is the headliner, but they also selected Jonathan Cyprien and Dwayne Gratz with Day 1 and 2 picks, while picking up Josh Evans, Demetrius McCray, Aaron Colvin and James Sample on Day 3. Add to that the combined $66 million they handed Davon House, Prince Amukamara, and Tashaun Gipson, and you've got a totally revamped back-end of the defense. There's some high-level talent there in Ramsey and Gipson, especially, solid contributors in House and Cyprien, and decent depth behind them.
The talent on the second level of the defense got a significant upgrade with the selection of Jack, as well. He's a full-field player at linebacker, one who should help offset the deficiencies of a group that includes Posluszny, recent draft pick Telvin Smith, and 2015 free-agent signing Dan Skuta. That, too, is now a group with a bunch of talent that fits together nicely.
Of course, none of this spending and drafting means anything if the Jaguars don't put it all together on the field in 2016. They've been remaking and revamping the defense the last few years, too, and they have yet to get the desired results. This year's signings and draft picks, though, feel like a group designed to finally push the Jaguars defense over the top. You don't drop $125-plus million and top-two round draft picks on defensive players without designs on pushing through to a different level.
The versatility of the players added over the last few years, and especially this offseason, should help. Ramsey can play corner on the inside or outside, as well as safety. Jack can play pretty much anywhere on the second or third level of a defense. Both of them are terrific athletes. (Jack's utility may be time-limited due to his knee injury, but while he's still able to be on the field, he should help a ton.)
Jackson has experience pushing the pocket inside and out, and if he looks for the Jaguars anything like he did during Denver's Super Bowl run, should add a whole new dimension to the defense. Gipson, if the Jaguars get the 2014 version rather than 2015, is a terrific centerfielder to patrol behind their corners. And Fowler, if he comes back and resembles in any way the player he was at Florida, gives them the kind of pure pass rusher they simply haven't had yet.
It will now be up to Bradley, new defensive coordinator Todd Wash, and the players themselves to make it all come together.
