Can Maason Smith fix the Jaguars' defensive line woes?
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Whether it is the team's 32nd ranked interior pressure rate or the fact that Roy Robertson-Harris led all Jaguars' defensive tackles in sacks until Week 17, despite playing for the Seahawks, the Jaguars DTs simply weren't even close to good enough in 2024.
It isn't all doom and gloom, however. Arik Amrstead figures to slide back inside to his more natural position. That alone should do wonders for the team's pass-rush. Maason Smith also looks to build upon his impressive finish to his rookie season.
Despite a ROUGH season defensively, Smith was a bright spot in the back half of the season. Early season healthy-scratches and injuries stood in his way early on, however, in week 13 Smith got hot and would stay hot until the end of the season.
Over the course of the first 12 weeks, Smith played just 136 snaps, accumulating three pressures in six games played. In week 13 everything changed as Smith saw 39 snaps. The next week Smith would be named one of the Jaguars' two starting defensive tackles.
His play certainly was that of an average, starting defensive tackle from a pass-rush perspective. From week 13 on, Smith racked up 11 pressures, tied for 32nd among defensive tackles. His pressures also ranked second among rookie DTs.
Smith didn't just pressure the quarterback either, he ended up finishing 3rd on the team in sacks (3.0), behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. That's unquestionably an impressive feat considering he only started five games, missed half the season, and was just a rookie.
His two sacks from between week 13 and week 18 were tied for 14th among defensive tackles and tied for second for rookies. It helps that he finally got the opportunity to see the field consistently, totaling 248 snaps over the last six games. It might also speak to how poor the rest of the team was.
The Jaguars will bring back the majority of their defensive line from last year. DaVon Hamilton, Arik Armstead, and Maason Smith figure to fight for the starting spots unless the Jaguars look to defensive tackle early in the 2025 NFL Draft.
While Hamilton doesn't offer much as a pass-rusher, his dominance in the run-game is still incredibly valuable. If Armstead and Smith can get going, this Jaguars' interior could look markedly better, even without the use of a top draft selection at the position.
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