Josh Hines-Allen knows exactly where the line is.
At home, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ veteran edge rusher makes a point to leave football at the door and stay present with his family. Once he’s back in work mode, though, the obsession flips on fast. That balance is part of what has made him one of the franchise’s defining players, and it’s also why he’s walking into training camp with the same familiar standard: be the best, chase Defensive Player of the Year, and help bring home a Super Bowl.
“I like to be obsessed with it, but you have to be healthy with it. When I go home, I’m not obsessive about it,” Hines-Allen said on Day 2 of training camp.
“I’m spending time with my family and relaxing my brain. I wake up thinking about football, I go to sleep thinking about football, but like, when I don’t need to, and I’m spending time with my family, I’m in that moment.”
That mindset has carried him to another piece of recognition this summer. Hines-Allen was voted No. 48 on the NFL’s Top 100 list, an honor determined by his peers. He put up eight sacks last season, but according to Pro Football Focus, he finished second in the NFL with 95 pressures - a number he pointed to this offseason as he talked about wanting more sacks to go with the disruption.
“I’m appreciative, but I play the game to be the best. It was just a step closer, I would say,” he said of the ranking.
“Guys watch the film and they see what they see. For me, I’m just trying to be an inspiration to myself and be an inspiration to guys behind me and keep going until I get No.
1.”
There was also a message from someone who knows his game well. Before camp, former teammate and mentor Calais Campbell sent Hines-Allen a text that stuck with him.
“I got a surprisingly good text from Calais Campbell right before we went out to practice,” Hines-Allen recalled. “He said, ‘I love you Josh and you’re going to lead the league in sacks this year.’ For me, that’s just more validation that I’m on the right path.”
The confidence is nothing new for Hines-Allen. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, owns the Jaguars’ single-season and all-time sack records, has collected multiple Pro Bowl nods, multiple conference player of the week awards and a former All-Pro selection. Even with that resume, he’s still hunting the next level.
That’s been obvious early in camp, where he’s set a tone with his pass rush and kept the bar high. The details he’s chasing are specific, too.
“Emphasize what can I do better going into this year? And that's getting out the ball faster or working my hands better on the top of the rush or if they get jump sets, being able to beat a blocker,” he said.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile sees the impact beyond the stat sheet. Hines-Allen’s standards, and the way he carries them, ripple through the unit.
“A guy who’s been that successful, he’s a great teammate and I really value that,” Campanile said. “I think he’s such a big part of what we do because he drives the message, not only in the [defensive line room], but in the unit room every day.”
For Hines-Allen, the motivation doesn’t seem to have an off switch. He keeps pushing, keeps refining, keeps setting the bar higher.
“I’m obsessed with it,” he said. “And if I’m not, then you’ll know I’m done playing football.”
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