Next on the list of IDP veteran winners and losers is the Jacksonville Jaguars! They have some interesting players for your IDP teams!
Jacksonville Jaguars – IDP Winners and Losers
Winners
Defensive End/Edge – Travon Walker and Josh Allen
Josh Allen had his fifth-year option exercised last year, and he delivered his second straight dominant year. Allen has played roughly 75% of the defensive snaps over the last two years and missed just one game in that stretch. This week, he will be the first winner in my Jaguars IDP winners and losers list.
Over the last two years, Allen has posted a combined 128 tackles (81 solo), 23 tackles for a loss, 36 QB hits, 14.5 sacks, 6 passes defended, 1 interception, 5 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 1 TD. He has been a constant disruption for any opposing offense.
Add in the newest addition of Travon Walker to the other side, and you can no longer focus on just the Allen side. Walker is out there playing as many snaps as Allen and taking some attention from Allen’s constant double teams. He was not as productive or disruptive as Allen during 2022 but definitely had a better rookie year than Allen had.
Opposing offenses could no longer focus on just one side of the protection.
Walker started off hot with 83% of the defensive snaps in his first game as a Jaguar. He posted a very nice stat line of 4 tackles (3 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit, 1 sack, 1 pass defended, and an interception. He did not stay that hot all year though. His year’s total stat counts for his rookie year amounted to just 49 tackles (24 solo), 5 tackles for a loss, 10 QB hits, 3.5 sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 interception, and a forced fumble.
It was good enough from the 2022 first-rounder that they did not select a defensive lineman in the 2022 NFL draft until the fourth round. Tyler Lacy is expected to compete for a spot on the Jaguars’ defensive line immediately and can play defensive tackle or defensive end. In his 4 years at Oklahoma State, Lacy posted 113 tackles (59 solo), 30 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, 4 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Linebackers – Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, and Chad Muma
The three-headed linebacker core of Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, and Chad Muma all end up winners on the IDP winners and losers list. Oluokun played 100% of the defensive snaps in 16 of the 17 games played last year and is the unquestionable leader in the Jaguars’ defensive huddle. He delivered an incredible 184 tackles (128 solo), 12 tackles for a loss, 9 QB hits, 2 sacks, 5 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.
The linebackers drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft have the Jaguars set for years.
Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma battled it out last year and both delivered at different times. Lloyd was their second prized first-round pick, while they snagged Muma in the third round. Lloyd dominated snaps in the first nine games of the 22′ season. Playing 90% or more of the defensive snaps had him produce a combined 69 tackles (34 solo), 2 QB hits, 1 pass defended, and a fumble recovery in those 9 games.
Lloyd was declining in his production, so the door was opened for Muma to show what he could do. Muma started two games in weeks 12 and 13. Muma delivered 20 tackles (11 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, and 1.5 sacks in those 130 combined defensive snaps.
The Jaguars did not draft a linebacker until the 4th and 5th rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft. Ventrell Miller has some promise as an all-around linebacker, but will likely play just special teams unless injuries hit the current three. He will have a chance to learn from one of the best in Oluokun for the next couple of years. The fifth-rounder was Yasir Abdullah, and he will probably move to the edge and back up the top two mentioned above.
The Losers
Defensive Ends – K’Lavon Chaisson and Dawuane Smoot
The losers on my IDP Winners and Losers list will start off with former first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson. The 2020 pick out of LSU has been trying to find a spot in the rotation and I believe the Jaguars are tired of waiting. He played more than 30% of the defensive snaps just once last year. In his second year with the Jaguars, Chaisson played more than 50% of the defensive snaps just twice. As a rookie, he played more than 60% of the defensive snaps six times.
Chaisson’s defensive snap count takes a hit every year.
In 40 games, Chaisson has accumulated a horrible 60 tackles (39 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 15 QB hits, 3 sacks, and 1 pass defended. This is why his snaps have gone down dramatically every year. Enter the fourth-round pick from this past 23′ NFL draft, Tyler Lacy. Lacy should not have a problem improving on those numbers at all.
Dawuane Smoot is a story of bad luck. His is injury related. Hoping to get a contract extension, Smoot tore his Achilles tendon in week 16 last year. Jacksonville said they are working on re-signing him, but he should miss a big chunk of the 2023 season with his rehabilitation. And when he does return, he will not be himself for a while. The 28-year-old has a long road ahead of him.
Safeties – Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco
Remember the name Antonio Johnson as you think about rostering the Jaguar safeties. He is a 6′ 3″ Safety from Texas A&M. He had his pick of the litter to choose from as a highly touted recruit. The schools that were interested included Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, and Penn State to name a few. As an Aggie, the hard-hitting Johnson produced 88 tackles (62 solo), 14 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 7 passes defended, 1 interception, and 4 forced fumbles in his final two years combined. He was not supposed to last until day three of the draft.
The fact that the Jaguars did select Johnson says a lot about their thoughts on Cisco and Jenkins. The fact that the Jaguars restructured Jenkins’s contract speaks loud. Jenkins is also 29 years old. Cisco is a very inexpensive piece that the Jaguars could move on from very quickly if a better situation presented itself. Both Jenkins and Cisco had the best tackle numbers of their career last year. Is that a good thing that Safeties are producing 189 tackles between themselves? How many of those tackles will be claimed by Johnson this year? Johnson will be on the field. Who will be the loser?
Thank you for checking out my 23′ Team Veteran IDP Winners and Losers article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @OldMan_FF and @IDPGuys (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber!
