JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars put one of the worst defenses in franchise history on the field in 2024.
They ranked last in pass defense, 31st in total defense, 25th in run defense, 27th in scoring defense, and 25th in third down conversions allowed. Their 389.9 yards per game allowed was the second-worst average in franchise history (417.7 in 2020) and their 257.4 passing yards per game allowed was the third-worst mark in franchise history. They also forced a league-low nine turnovers.
One more way to describe just how bad things were: The Jaguars allowed 400 or more yards nine times in 17 games.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan said he wanted a young, offensive-minded head coach to help quarterback Trevor Lawrence continue to develop, which is why he hired former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Coen in turn has hired first-time defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile to get the defense back to competing at a higher level.
"My vision for us defensively, we want to be a tough, fast, physical, [and] violent at the point of attack team," he said. "What does that mean? That means that you've got guys who take pride in not getting blocked. Everybody talks about running to the ball. I don't think there's another person in the world who believes in running to the ball more than I do.
"But you can't run to the ball if you don't get off the blocks, and that is something that's going to be celebrated in our room. It's going to be celebrated in the culture of our team."
With the free agency negotiation period starting on Monday, here's a look at what Campanile currently has and the positions that need to be improved.
Defensive tackle
Under contract: Arik Armstead, DaVon Hamilton, Maason Smith, Jordan Jefferson, Tyler Lacy.
The Jaguars gave Armstead a three-year, $45.5 million contract with $28 million guaranteed last offseason, but instead of playing inside where he thrived in San Francisco, he played 82% of his snaps at defensive end and delivered 29 tackles, two sacks and three pass deflections. After the season ended, he said he would be returning inside in 2025.
Smith admittedly struggled as a rookie with giving consistent effort in practice, learning to take care of his body, and the amount of studying required to be a productive player. But he recognized that and turned things around in the last month of the season: He had two of three sacks and two of three pass deflections in the final three games.
Hamilton hasn't been the same player he was in 2022 after signing a three-year, $34.5 million extension and suffering a severe back infection during training camp in August of 2023. He registered 13 QB hits in his first three seasons (2020-2022) but had two in the last two seasons.
The skinny: The interior of the defensive line was a major weakness in 2023, especially against the run. Opponents averaged 2.99 yards per carry before first contact, the fifth highest in the league.
Armstead moving back inside should help, but Hamilton's drop-off and the uncertainty of whether second-year players Smith and Jefferson can play at a higher level makes the interior defensive line a high priority this offseason. Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is a popular pick for the Jaguars at No. 5 in mock drafts.
Defensive end/edge rusher
Under contract: Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Myles Cole
Hines-Allen signed a five-year, $141.25 million contract ($88 million guaranteed) last offseason after posting a franchise-record 17.5 sacks in 2023, but his production dipped in 2024. His sacks (8.0), QB hits (33 to 19), and QB pressures (96 to 67) all dropped.
Walker's pass rush numbers last season (10.5 sacks, 15 QB hits, 60 QB pressures) were comparable to what he did in 2023 (10 sacks, 19 QB hits, 56 QB pressures), and he added a career-high 62 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Other than Hines-Allen and Walker, however, the Jaguars didn't get a single sack from any player that lined up on the edge (Armstead's sacks came when he lined up at tackle). Cole was a seventh-round pick the Jaguars kept because they feared other teams would claim him, but he looked very raw in eight games.
The skinny: Hines-Allen and Walker give the Jaguars one of the better edge combos in the league (46 sacks in the last two seasons), but the Jaguars have to bring in a third player who can give them some kind of pass rush from the edge to help them out. It seems to be regarded as a somewhat deep class of edge rushers available in the draft, so the Jaguars could use one of their first two picks on one. The dream scenario for the Jaguars would be Penn State's Abdul Carter somehow dropping to fifth, but that's unlikely.
A draft pick as well as a lower-level free agent signing should beef up a rush that managed only 34 sacks -- the franchise's lowest total since 2016 (33).
Linebacker
Under contract: Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, Ventrell Miller, Chad Muma, Yasir Abdullah
Oluokun had played all but 18 of the Jaguars' defensive snaps in 2022-23 and led the NFL in solo tackles in each season. But in 2024, he played 88% of the defensive snaps in 13 games ( missing four on IR with a foot injury) because of coordinator Ryan Nielsen's hockey shift-style rotation. It was puzzling to take one of the team's best defensive players off the field that much and to move Lloyd inside and Oluokun outside. Players weren't happy with Nielsen's plan. Still, Oluokun was productive when he was on the field (108 tackles and career-high seven pass breakups).
Lloyd led the Jaguars with 113 tackles and added a forced fumble and interception. But he struggled in coverage and with blown assignments.
Miller started nine games and had 80 tackles in his first season on the field (he missed his rookie year with an Achilles injury). Muma has made more of an impact on special teams than defense.
The skinny: Oluokun is under contract through 2027, and it's likely he'll return to the middle in 2025. While it's a no-brainer that the Jaguars will pick up Walker's fifth-year option this spring, it's unclear if they'll do the same with Lloyd, the 27th overall pick in 2022. The unit needs to make more big plays: Linebackers combined for just four turnovers (two interceptions, two forced fumbles) in 2023. The Jaguars will look to add eventual replacements for Lloyd and Muma, who is in the final year of his rookie contract.
Cornerback
Under contract: Tyson Campbell, Jarrian Jones, Montaric Brown, De'Antre Prince, Christian Braswell, Zech McPhearson
Campbell, who signed a four-year, $76.5 million contract extension last offseason, missed five games in 2024 because of a hamstring injury. When he was on the field, he failed to force a turnover for the first time in his four-year career.
Jones grew into the nickel role as the season progressed. Brown ended up starting 10 games, replacing Campbell in the lineup and then taking over on the outside after the Jaguars benched Ronald Darby, who was released last week.
The skinny: Adding another outside corner to pair with Campbell is one of the team's top priorities on defense. It most likely will come through the draft -- another potentially at No. 5 overall -- rather than free agency. Minnesota Vikings' Byron Murphy Jr.is regarded as the top corner available and Spotrac.com projects his new contract will average more than $20 million annually. Jones has shown he can be a reliable nickel and Darnell Savage can play there as well, but they need him to play safety if they're unable to successfully upgrade from Andre Cisco and Antonio Johnson.
Safety
Under contract: Darnell Savage, Antonio Johnson, Andrew Wingard, Daniel Thomas
Cisco, who struggled all season with blown coverages and was benched for two games, is unlikely to be re-signed. Johnson had the same issue. Wingard had a great training camp and was on track to be a starter until a knee injury sidelined him for the first nine games of the season. He ended up starting the final two games. Savage was signed to play nickel but ended up moving back to safety because of the issues with Cisco and Johnson. Thomas is a special teams player.
The skinny: This is a major need as the Jaguars must find at least one new starter, if not two. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Jaguars signed one in free agency and used a pick within the first three rounds on one as well.