If you read my previous two articles on the Jaguars headed into the 2025 season, which was the 2025 pre-draft team preview of the team, along with the 2025 post-draft offensive outlook of the team. You could see that I felt they were very talented offensively but perhaps too young offensively, and they had a ton of question marks defensively and the defense as of now would be the undoing of the team. Last season, the Jaguars were amongst the weakest defensive teams in the NFL and their 2024 major defensive metrics can be found below.
Jaguars 2024 Major Defensive Metrics
28th in points per game allowed
31st in yards per game allowed
26th in overall defense grade according to Pro Football Focus
The Jaguars ranked near the bottom of the NFL in all the major indicators of strong defensive play this past season. The Jaguars headed into the 2025 season have hired a new defensive coordinator along with bringing on a new head coach in Liam Coen as well. The offense will hopefully be better next season for the Jaguars’ sake, putting the defense in better spots. Jacksonville for their sake will hopefully be better coached on defense next season with the hire of the new defensive coordinator. In addition to Liam Coen putting the defense in better spots than Doug Pederson did although both head coaches are offensive minded. However, the personnel that the Jaguars had last season and also headed into next season will also play a large role in the team’s success or lack thereof. The Jaguars had questionable personnel on the defensive side of the ball last season and some of the question marks remain headed into next season as well. I have conducted a full analysis of the Jaguars’ defensive personnel from the 2024 season and headed into 2025 as well. I have listed each player in each unit and included the defense grade that the player was assigned by Pro Football Focus over the course of the 2024 season. In addition to providing that defense grade I have included my own subjective grade of the player that indicates how strong I feel they are in totality outside of just the 2024 season.
2024 Jaguars Front Seven
Interior Defensive Line
DL – Davon Hamilton – (91/146) defense grade in 2024 over 626 snaps, C+
DL – Jeremiah Ledbetter – (52/146) defense grade in 2024 over 441 snaps, C+
DL – Roy Robertson-Harris – (98/146) defense grade in 2024 over 398 snaps, C+ to B-
DL – Maason Smith – (129/146) defense grade in 2024 over 384 snaps, C- so far as ’24 2nd rd
DL – Tyler Lacy – (127/146) defense grade in 2024 over 340 snaps, C-
DL – Jordan Jefferson – (53/146) defense grade in 2024 over 151 snaps, B- so far as ’24 4th rd
DL – Esezi Otomewo – (121/146) defense grade in 2024 over 90 snaps, C
Edge Defenders
ED – Travon Walker – (49/135) defense grade in 2024 over 911 snaps, C+ to B-
ED – Josh Hines-Allen – (13/135) defense grade in 2024 over 821 snaps, B+ to A-
ED – Arik Armstead – (45/135) defense grade in 2024 over 569 snaps, B+
ED – Myles Cole – (135/135) defense grade in 2024 over 135 snaps, D so far as ’24 7th rd
ED – Joe Gaziano – (130/135) defense grade in 2024 over 38 snaps, C to C+
ED – DJ Coleman – (105/126) defense grade in 2024 over 12 snaps, C-
Linebackers
LB – Devin Llyod – (12/92) defense grade in 2024 over 884 snaps, B+
LB – Foyesade Oluokun – (32/92) defense grade in 2024 over 815 snaps, B
LB – Ventrell Miller – (80/92) defense grade in 2024 over 482 snaps, C-
LB – Chad Muma – (70/92) defense grade in 2024 over 260 snaps, C
LB – Yasir Abdullah – (99/135) defense grade in 2024 over 170 snaps, C to C-
LB – Caleb Johnson – only 1 snap in 2024, only 7 career snaps
2024 Jaguars Key Front Seven Metrics
25th in rushing yards per game allowed
22nd in run defense grade according to Pro Football Focus
24th in pass rush grade according to Pro Football Focus
28th in sacks
As you can see from the above the Jaguars had their struggles in the front seven this past season ranking in the bottom ten of all the key indicators of strong front seven play. The Jaguars were not bereft of talent in their front seven although they did have some holes and it was certainly far from a front seven that was elite in terms of talent. This past season the Jaguars top two linebackers in Devin Llyod and Foyesade Oluokun were very formidable and formed among the better linebacking tandems in the NFL. Off the edge, Travon Walker, Arik Armstead, and Josh Hines-Allen also formed a very formidable edge rusher trio for the team. Despite the raw talent of those five players, Jacksonville struggled on the defensive front this past season for multiple reasons. Arik Armstead missed a good amount of time due to injury and the combination of those five players are good to very good but certainly not great. While outside of those five players the remaining players in the front seven left much to be desired, the team had little to no depth and the team’s interior defensive line unit was amongst the weakest in the NFL. Headed into next season the improvements that the Jaguars can hope to see in their front seven will stem from the development of young players primarily.
Edge defender Travon Walker who was taken with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft before the 2022 season has not lived up to expectations thus far in the NFL but has not been a bust either. In his first two seasons in the NFL, Walker graded in the below average to well below average range in terms of an overall defense grade according to Pro Football Focus among qualified players at his position. Walker, however, turned around that trend and graded above average in that department during the 2024 season but not well above average. Despite the questionable grades that Walker has consistently been given by Pro Football Focus, he has logged double digit sacks in each of the past two seasons which is not easy to come by. Given the fact that he was drafted first overall and has showed improvement; while also registering double digit sacks two years in a row, Walker may be in line to break out next season. I graded Walker as a C+ to B- caliber player as of now, but he certainly has the potential to take a leap into the B to B+ range if not higher.
As stated previously the struggles that Jacksonville had in their front seven in 2024 was directly correlated to their interior defensive line play this past season. Arik Armstead is renown for being a high-level player on both the interior and the edge of the defensive front but primarily played off the edge this past season. Partly due to that, along with the Jaguars lacking talent on their interior defensive line as well, the Jaguars interior defensive line play ranked among the weakest in the NFL this past season. The Jaguars had some talent in their interior defensive front this past season, but the players who were talented were too young/inconsistent for the unit to produce at even a solid level. Davon Hamilton, Roy Robertson-Harris, and Jeremiah Ledbetter have all shown that they are capable of producing at a solid level if not more than that as NFL players. However, all three of those players have lacked consistency and have shown a B level ceiling but perhaps not an A level ceiling. Two of those three players graded below average this past season with the remaining one in Jeremiah Ledbetter grading above average but not well above average in that regard. Behind those two players the Jaguars had two interior defensive lineman who were both rookies this past season who have a lot of promise for next season. 2024 2nd round pick Maason Smith struggled in his rookie season but given his very high draft standing and his still respectable play as a rookie, he is perhaps in line to break out next season. 2024 4th round pick Jordan Jefferson played very well in limited rookie snaps and could break out next season as well. The lackluster interior defensive line play was the biggest reason for the Jaguars’ subpar front seven play in 2024. With Armstead now transitioning to the interior defensive line and with the potential emergence of the two 2024 rookies on the interior of the defensive front, the Jaguars could be in very good shape next season from an interior defensive line standpoint.
As stated previously, the linebacking core for the Jaguars in 2024 was a strong suit of the team. However, the unit was far from perfect as the Jaguars’ aforementioned top two linebackers were very good but not great. While the third player who logged substantial snaps last season for Jacksonville while being listed as a linebacker left much to be desired as well. Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Llyod both graded in the above average to well above average range among qualified linebackers last season and I evaluated both to be B to B+ caliber players. Neither player graded as an elite linebacker nor did I evaluate either to be elite in totality outside of 2024. Those two players still formed a very formidable linebacking tandem but were not quite elite. The third linebacker who logged substantial snaps for the team last season was Ventrell Miller who is just a C to a C- caliber player and played as such last season as well. The Jaguars’ linebacking unit was led by two very good but not great players and one below average player. Those three players formed a good above average linebacking core but certainly not a great one. Headed into next season those three players will remain the three primary linebackers for the team. The improvements that the Jaguars can hope to see from their linebacking unit will primarily stem from Ventrell Miller stepping up his game. Miller was drafted in 2023 in the fourth round but did not play at all as a rookie and 2023 was his de-facto rookie season. He had his struggles in that de-facto rookie season but given his relatively high draft standing and still his respectable play as a rookie, he can perhaps turn into a solid player for the Jaguars next season. Thus, seeing the improvement in the linebacking core. In addition to it, Devin Llyod was a first-round pick in the 2022 draft and struggled as a rookie but in the past two seasons he has been a very good B+ caliber player. It is possible that Llyod now takes a step forward into becoming an A caliber player given his consistent improvement and his very high draft standing.
Overall, the Jaguars’ front seven produced at a well below average rate this past season, and that subpar output can be attributed to multiple things. The Jaguars interior defensive line was amongst the weakest in the NFL. While the edge defenders and linebackers for the team were good but not great. Headed into next season, Arik Armstead is moving to the interior of the defensive line and the team has two 2024 rookies in line to break out next season on the interior of the defensive line as well. The edge defender unit and the linebacker unit for the team this past season, which were both good but not great, have a few young players in line to improve their own individual games and therefore the unit in totality is in line to improve as well. Players such as 2022 first overall pick Travon Walker, 2022 first round pick Devin Llyod, and 2023 fourth round pick Ventrell Miller. Jacksonville certainly has what it takes to be a very good to a great front seven next season if young players can show improvements. I think the Jaguars have an elite ceiling with regards to their front seven next year and at worst will have a solid floor. The Jaguars’ projected 2025 front seven lineup can be found below.
Projected Jaguars 2025 Front Seven Starting Lineup
LDE – Josh Hines-Allen – B+
LDT – Davon Hamilton – C+
RDT – Arik Armstead – B+
RDE – Travon Walker – C+ to B-
WLB – Foyesade Oluokun – B
MLB – Devin Lloyd – B+
SLB – Ventrell Miller – C-
Projected 2025 Jaguars Front Seven Reserves
ED – Emmanuel Ogbah – C+
DL – Jordan Jefferson – B in very limited snaps as 2024 4th rounder
DL – Maason Smith – C- in very limited snaps as 2024 2nd rounder
ED – Dawuane Smoot – C+
LB – Dennis Gardeck – B-
LB – Chad Muma – C to C-
LB – Jack Kiser – 2025 fourth rounder
LB – Jalen McLeod – 2025 sixth rounder
LB – Branson Combs – 2025 UDFA
ED – Myles Cole – D-
ED – Yasir Abdullah – D+ to C-
DL – James Carpenter – UDFA 2025
DL – Tyler Lacy – UDFA 2025
ED – Danny Striggow – UDFA 2025
ED – Ethan Downs – UDFA 2025
DL – Eli Mostaert – UDFA 2025
DL – Kelvie Rose – UDFA 2025
If the young players on the Jaguars’ front seven play to their full potential, then the Jaguars could have an elite front seven led by potentially 6 very good starters and 1 potentially solid starter. Not to mention a handful of players off the bench capable of producing at a solid if not better than that rate for the Jaguars next season. I have conducted a similar analysis of the Jaguars’ secondary headed into next season as well which can be found below.
2024 Jaguars Secondary
Cornerbacks
CB – Montaric Brown – (72/128) defense grade in 2024 over 855 snaps, C to C-
CB – Tyson Campbell – (71/128) defense grade in 2024 over 767 snaps, C+ to B-
CB – Jarrian Jones – (41/128) defense grade in 2024 over 699 snaps, B- so far as ’24 3rd rd
CB – Ronald Darby – (82/128) defense grade in 2024 over 659 snaps, B to B-
CB – Deantre Prince – (117/128) defense grade in 2024 over 101 snaps, C so far as ’24 5th rd
CB – Christian Braswell – (25/128) defense grade in 2024 over 42 snaps, B+, only NFL snaps
CB – Tre Flowers – (125/128) defense grade in 2024 over 16 snaps, C-
Safeties
S – Andre Cisco – (76/104) defense grade in 2024 over 979 snaps, C+ to B-
S – Darnell Savage – (101/104) defense grade in 2024 over 764 snaps, C+
S – Antonio Johnson – (102/104) defense grade in 2024 over 685 snaps, C to C+
S – Andrew Wingard – (10/104) defense grade in 2024 over 216 snaps, B+ to A-
S – Daniel Thomas – (86/104) defense grade in 2024 over 35 snaps, C-
S – Terrell Edmunds – (27/104) defense grade in 2024 over 69 snaps, B to B+
2024 Jaguars Key Secondary Metrics
32nd in passing yards per game allowed
26th in coverage grade according to Pro Football Focus
As you can see from this final set of data and also the personnel that I listed above, the Jaguars had amongst the league’s weakest secondaries in the NFL this past season. They allowed the most passing yards in the NFL and had holes all over the place from a personnel standpoint as well. Montaric Brown and Tyson Campbell logged the most snaps at cornerback for the team this past season but both struggled grading below average in terms of an overall defense grade according to Pro Football Focus. Jarrian Jones and Ronald Darby logged the next most snaps at cornerback to those two players. Jones, a third-round rookie last season, played well but had his limitations as a rookie. Ronald Darby has a high ceiling as a player but is known to struggle with consistency and durability. Although Darby was able to stay healthy last season, he struggled in his time on the field. Christian Braswell played very well in very limited snaps for the team last year at cornerback as well. Despite some strong play and some talented players sprinkled in every here and there, the Jaguars’ cornerback unit was in the definitive discussion for being the weakest in the NFL this past season.
A similar narrative persisted for the safety unit of Jacksonville this past season as well, where although they had some talent every here and there, the unit in totality was amongst the league’s weakest. The three safeties who logged the most snaps for the team this past season were all graded as below average or as amongst the weakest safeties in the NFL. Antonio Johnson, Andre Cisco, and Darnell Savage are all capable players who have shown a high ceiling but all of them struggle mightily with consistency and are perhaps better suited as backups. Andew Wingard is, however, consistently very effective as an NFL safety but struggled to stay on the field last season due to injury.
Headed into next season several concerns still remain for the Jaguars on the back end of their defense. The Jaguars’ secondary in totality was perhaps the weakest in the NFL this past season and has nowhere to go but up. However, the unit as of now projects to be below average next season as well although I could see a scenario in which it is solid if not more than that. 2024 third round pick Jarrian Jones who had a strong rookie season is in line to improve upon it next year while currently being listed as a starter. The Jaguars drafted Travis Hunter with the 2nd overall pick who plays both sides of the ball but is currently listed as a secondary reserve while being listed as a starting wide receiver on offense. Hunter won the award for being the best overall defensive player in all of college football this past season. Hunter is currently listed as a reserve but could provide the team with some high-end capabilities from a cornerback standpoint next season. The Jaguars also have more than a couple notable players currently listed as secondary reserves who could eventually find themselves being inserted into the starting lineup. Christian Braswell who looked very strong at corner in very limited snaps, Andrew Wingard who is consistently a very strong safety but who struggled with injury this past season, along with 2025 third round pick Caleb Ransaw. The projected 2025 secondary lineup for the Jaguars headed into next season can be found below.
2025 Projected Jaguars Starting Secondary
LCB – Jarrian Jones – B so far as 2024 third rounder
SS – Eric Murray – C
FS – Darnell Savage – C to C+
RCB – Tyson Campbell – C+
NB – Jourdan Lewis – C+
2025 Projected Jaguars’ Secondary Reserves
CB – Travis Hunter – 2025 first rounder
SS – Antonio Johnson – C to C+
FS – Caleb Ransaw – 2025 third rounder
CB – Montaric Brown – C
CB – Christian Braswell – B+ in very limited snaps
CB – Zech McPherson – C to C+
S – Rayuan Lane III – 2025 sixth rounder
S – Andrew Wingard – B+ to A-
CB – Deantre Prince – D+
CB – Doneiko Slaughter – UDFA 2025
CB – Aydan White – UDFA 2025
S – Cam’ron Silmon-Craig – UDFA 2025
S – Daniel Thomas – C to C-
CB – Jabbar Muhammad – UDFA 2025
As you can see from the above the Jaguars as of now have one of the weakest projected starting secondaries headed into next season as they did last season. Jarrian Jones, however, is a solid player as of now in that starting lineup and the remaining players for the most part have shown high end capabilities but have lacked consistency. The likes of Andrew Wingard and Travis Hunter off the bench project to both be borderline elite players next season and could eventually transition to the starting lineup. The likes of Christian Braswell and Caleb Ransaw also have a ton of potential and could also eventually transition to the starting lineup.
The Jaguars’ secondary in the 2024 season was arguably the weakest in the NFL and still has a ton of question marks headed into next season as well. The secondary could be very good next year if some of the players who have concerns in regards to youth and consistency along with health, play near their A game next season. But as of now the projected five starters rank among the weakest in the NFL. The Jaguars could have a well above average secondary next season but also could have a very weak one as well. Seeing where they land on that scale next year will be interesting to watch.
Overall, the Jaguars’ defense was amongst the weakest in the NFL this past season but projects to be much better headed into next season. They have hired a new defensive coordinator and hopefully for Jacksonville’s sake, the combination of him along with new head coach Liam Coen will have the defense be coached at a better rate than it was in the 2024 season. The Jaguars have a ton of young talent on their defense and a rookie defensive coordinator. If the Jaguars reach near their full potential on defense next season, they could be very good and bordering on a great defense. But just like with the offense, although there is a ton of talent, the personnel is still so young with a rookie coordinator and a rookie head coach as well. Just like with the offense the team feels as if it will be a year away from being in peak form on the defensive side of the ball. However, the team could still be very good defensively next season but are perhaps a year away from being a great defensive team.
