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After dishing out over $188 million in guarantees to cornerstone edge rusher Josh Allen and a deep free agent class, paired with the additions of nine NFL draft picks and a handful of undrafted prospects, Jacksonville’s roster is shaping up with training camp just under three months away.
But while the Jaguars patched up several holes on their depth chart over the past two months, a few questions remain about the state of the roster as the 2024 season approaches.
Jaguars Wire presents three below.
Different year, similar approach to edge rush in the draft. Will Jacksonville sign a pass rusher before the season?
Sep 19, 2019; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell (93) on the bench during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Despite entering the draft with a need for depth at edge rusher for the second year in a row, Jacksonville walked out of the selection ceremony with only a seventh-round pick devoted to the position.
It was used on Myles Cole from Texas Tech, who offers physical and athletic upside but averaged fewer than one sack per season over six years and 59 games in college.
Last offseason, the Jaguars took Louisville EDGE Yasir Abdullah in the fifth round. The 6-foot-1, 234-pounder appeared in just five games and was a healthy scratch for most of the season.
Jacksonville boasts one of the NFL’s better edge-rushing tandems with Josh Allen now under contract long-term and 2022 No. 1 overall pick, Travon Walker, having reached 10 sacks in his second season in the pros in 2023.
But its depth is largely unproven, consisting of Cole, Abdullah and free agent signee Trevis Gipson, who peaked with seven sacks in his second NFL season in 2022 but has produced four over 25 games since. To limit the damage of a potential injury to Allen or Walker, more help is needed.
