ESPN’s Mike Clay sees the Jacksonville Jaguars’ edge rusher group as the team’s biggest strength heading into the 2026 season, and it’s not hard to see why.
Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker sit at the top of that depth chart, giving Jacksonville a pair of disruptive pass rushers who can change a game in a hurry. Clay pointed to Hines-Allen’s production since entering the league in 2019 and Walker’s upside when healthy as the main reasons for the selection.
"Hines-Allen ranks 10th in the NFL with 61 sacks since he entered the league in 2019," Clay wrote. "Walker's play dipped a bit last season (primarily because of injury), but he reached 10 sacks the previous two seasons and remains in his prime at 26."
Hines-Allen backed that up with a huge season in 2025, piling up 95 pressures in the regular season, according to PFF. That was the second-most in the league among his position group, a reminder that his impact went well beyond the sack total.
Walker’s 2025 season was interrupted by injuries, but the seasons before that showed a player trending upward as a pass rusher year after year. He also gives the Jaguars more than just edge pressure, with the ability to help against the run and move around the defensive front.
Put those two together, and Jacksonville has the kind of one-two punch teams have to account for every snap.
The concern comes after them. Edge rusher is one of those spots where teams need steady rotation, and the Jaguars’ depth is still a question.
Jacksonville is expected to lean on some mix of rookies Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee, along with second-year UDFAs Danny Striggow and BJ Green. Dennis Gardeck is also part of that mix.
Even with Hines-Allen’s big year, the Jaguars finished 18th in pressure rate in 2025 and 27th in sacks, which shows how much more they need from the rest of the group.
A healthy Walker would go a long way toward lifting that production, but Jacksonville will also need more consistent impact from the players behind its two stars. The secondary’s play could help the pass rush depth, too.
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Jaguars Send 3 Pass Rushers To Sack Summit With NFL Elite
The Jaguars are sending three of their top pass rushers to the 2024 Sack Summit from July 9-11, a gathering for NFL edge defenders hosted by Maxx Crosby, Cameron Jordan and Von Miller. Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker and Arik Armstead will be among the players in the room, giving Jacksonville a chance to keep its front-line pressure group around some of the leagues most established names while the offseason still has room to shape their next step.
For Hines-Allen, it is another marker of a season in which he was among the leagues most productive pressure players. Walker arrives with the momentum of a recent extension that underscored how strongly the Jaguars still believe in his trajectory, while Armstead enters with a different kind of motivation after a hand injury affected his late-season production. The summit does not answer every question about what Jacksonvilles pass rush will become, but it does put three important pieces of it in the same place at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Veteran Is Forcing A Tough Backfield Decision In Camp
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What makes Abdullah interesting is that his value is not limited to carries. He can help as a pass catcher and on special teams, which gives him a path to stick even as the Jaguars sort through their backfield mix. For a team that has to balance depth, roles and weekly game-day value, Abdullahs case is the kind that can make a late-summer decision tougher than it first looked. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Still Have One Huge Arik Armstead Question Up Front
Arik Armstead is still on the Jaguars roster as training camp opens, and for now that keeps one of the bigger questions up front from turning into an immediate roster move. The veteran defensive tackle is heading into the final year of his deal with a $19.385 million cap hit, and none of that money is guaranteed, which is why his status drew so much attention throughout the offseason.
Jacksonville weighed its options, but Armsteads presence on the defensive line still matters to a group that needs stability in the trenches. He also played through a hand injury late last season, and his production tailed off after a strong start, so the Jaguars are left balancing cost, health and value as they head deeper into camp with the decision still hanging over the front of the defense. [Read more 🡒]