JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- "Mass kicks ass."
That was what former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen told players was a key part of his defensive philosophy last season. He believed that bulkier players -- especially along the defensive line -- would make the defense better, especially against the run.
But bigger wasn't better for Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, who this spring admitted the weight they added to go from outside linebackers in Mike Caldwell's 3-4 defense to defensive ends in Nielsen's 4-3 scheme negatively impacted their play by the end of the season.
"My mindset was always to be as dominant, but obviously, holding a little bit more weight kind of puts a little bit more wear and tear on the body," Hines-Allen said. "It was a lot. Too much.
"Again, learn to adapt. Got to know what works best for you. Something that I tried, and something that I'm, like, 'All right, I probably don't want to do that again.'"
Now both are lighter and, per new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, ready for a fresh start.
"I really like the way they look right now," said Campanile, who, along with head coach Liam Coen, emphasized that the team did not ask either player to lose weight and told them to play at a weight at which they are comfortable. "I think they are really moving well. They have a ton of strength, which you need that. You need strength at the point of attack, you have to play physical. ...
"I love what they have done this offseason. Our strength staff has done an unbelievable job with these guys. They have been grinding them and it's showing out here."
Hines-Allen said he played at 285 pounds last season, which was the heaviest he has been in his six-year career -- and he felt the difference from his previous five seasons.
After a franchise-record 17.5 sacks (third in the NFL), 96 QB pressures, 33 QB hits and 19.6% pressure rate in 17 games in 2023, Hines-Allen had 8 sacks (tied for 27th), 67 QB pressures, 19 QB hits and a 14.9% pressure rate in 16 games last season.
Hines-Allen didn't want to blame the extra weight for the drop-off but admitted it could have been one of the factors.
"See, I don't know because I was also getting banged up a lot more," he said. "My body was not cooperating as much as I would want it to. I take care of my body to the utmost, but it was a little bit different. I don't know if that had something to do with the weight. So, that's something I took into consideration coming into this season."
Hines-Allen didn't want to say what he weighs now or what weight he wants to play at in 2025, but he is listed at 255 pounds on the roster, although that's what he was listed at in 2024, too. The only number he's concerned about is 2.5, which is how many sacks he needs to pass Tony Brackens for the franchise's sack record (55).
Walker didn't put on as much weight last season as Hines-Allen (he was already 272 pounds) but he did add some, though he did not specify how much. He did say he weighs 3 pounds less this spring and concentrated on his body composition rather than the scale.
Even though he didn't bulk up as much as Hines-Allen, he said the added weight did impact his play.
"I am not going to use that as an excuse, but I felt like it took a little bit of a toll on me closer [to] the end of the season," Walker said. "It has its pros and cons."
Walker's production last season -- career-high 10.5 sacks (tied for 12th in the NFL), 60 QB pressures, 15 QB hits and an 11.8% pressure rate -- was similar to 2023, when he had 10 sacks (tied for 22nd), 56 QB pressures, 19 QB hits and a 12.1% pressure rate. Walker also scored his first career touchdown on a fumble return against the Philadelphia Eagles and caused a career-high two fumbles last season.
This season could be pivotal for the 2022 No. 1 pick. Though there have been no talks regarding a contract extension, the Jaguars did pick up his fifth-year option this spring. A big season could jump-start those talks next offseason, especially if Walker is able to record 10 or more sacks.
That would make him the first player in franchise history with double-digit sacks in three consecutive seasons.
"Everybody wants to get double-digit sacks," Walker said. "For me, I just want to be a total and complete football player. I want to be able to stop the run because we aren't able to rush the passer without stopping the run. Once we do that it allows us to get after the quarterback. I just want to come out here and be the best overall player I can be every day."
Being on the field more will help that. Multiple team sources previously told ESPN that players were upset with the rotation system Nielsen installed when he arrived. Hines-Allen and Walker were the top pass rushers, yet there were times when both were off the field at the same time, sometimes leaving veteran Arik Armstead -- who had success as a pass rusher in his previous nine seasons rushing from the interior -- and seventh-round rookie Myles Cole on the field in key situations.
Hines-Allen played 73% of the defensive snaps, down from 79% in 2023, while Walker played 76%, down from 78%. Hines-Allen said he wants to be on the field more and dropping the weight is an important part of that.
"I don't want to get off the field. That allows me to lose a little weight, because I don't want to get off the field. I want to do what's best for my team.
"I want to play at a high level each and every rep, get out, get a squirt of water and come back in and play four or five plays if needed, full speed, and take over games. That's my mentality, that's the mindset and that's the goal at the end of the day."
Even though the team has signed veterans Emmanuel Ogbah (47.5 career sacks) and Dawuane Smoot (25 career sacks) to help the pass rush, Hines-Allen and Walker must carry the group, and to do that they need to be on the field as much as possible, Coen said.
"I know that they had put some weight on in order to play some of the schemes structures that they were playing, and that's just anybody's prerogative," Coen said. "That's the way they wanted to do it and ultimately just kind of evaluating it and talking to some of the players and just trying to get them back down a little bit to maybe where they had been when maybe they had had better years or been a little bit more productive and definitely better for those guys to feel fresh."
In other words, kick ass with a little less mass.