The Jaguars' Advantage of Josh Hines-Allen Getting Snubbed

There are many examples of people who do amazing things in their life's work and don't always make the list of industry standouts. Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Samuel L. Jackson have never won an Oscar.

In the NFL universe, a certain defensive standout for the Jacksonville Jaguars has been left off another "best of" list. This time for Josh Hines-Allen, ESPN's list of execs, coaches, and scouts ranking the NFL's top 10 edge rushers for 2025, The leader of the defense in Duval is nowhere to be found again, not even as an honorable mention.

"Of course, the Jaguars' defense last year was one of the worst in the league, and as you have heard me talk before, when it comes to the Jaguars and earning accolades, it certainly does seem like there is always a Jaguars tax. So until the Jaguars start consistently winning games, it's highly likely you don't see them in many lists like this."

The Jaguars have a fantastic tandem of pass rushers in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Josh Hines Allen is just a season removed from a 17 1/2 sack season and is on track to become the all-time sack leader for the team as early as Week 1.

There's no denying some of the athletes listed, but others could be viewed as suspect vs. Hines-Allen.

At No.1 was Cleveland's Myles Garrett, followed by T.J. Watt of Pittsburgh, Dallas Cowboy Micah Parsons at No. 3, San Francisco's Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby in Las Vegas, No. 5 Cincinatti Bengal Trey Hendrickson, Aidan Hutchinson of Detroit, Houston Texans Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter and at No. 10 Jared Verse of the Los Angeles Rams.

Where it gets ponderous is the exclusion from Honorable Mention with the Giants' Brian Burns, Denver Bronco Nick Bonitto, KC's George Karlaftis, and Minnesota's Jonathan Greenard getting listed in that category. At least Hines-Allen and his running mate, Travon Walker, received votes in a footnote of the piece, but it's still insulting nonetheless. Jaguars on SI Beat Writer John Shipley discussed the snub on a recent podcast.

"I personally think the fact that Josh Hines-Allen isn't even an honorable mention doesn't make sense to me unless you're, of course, looking at nothing but sack numbers. Just the names that I think he should be over, George Karlaftis, I don't see how that's even a debate. The Chiefs, if they could swap Josh Allen and George Karlaftis today, they would."

"Nick Bonitto for Josh Hines Allen? Sean Payton would break both legs sprinting to the phone to finalize that. I mean, they even say in his description, 'young, athletic, upside, speed rusher. Can impact the game, small and average against a run, but very productive overall. He can really cover, too, which helps his profile,' said an NFL executive."

"What are we talking about?", pondered Shipley.

"Is the only thing that edge defenders do in the NFL, pass rush? I get it's the most important thing. 100% get that. But if I have a great pass rusher like Josh Hines-Allen who is still one of the best in the NFL in pressures, pressure rate and all that, If he's getting ranked below guys who, even those who who make up the poll, are saying, 'He's one dimensional, but he's pretty good at that one dimension, that doesn't make a lick of sense to me. "

Whether it's a bias against Josh Hines-Allen or the entire Jaguars franchise, it seems like these snubs will be a motivating factor. The Jaguars superstar noticed his other exclusion last month on social media, and surely this one didn't escape his attention as well.

There are certain athletes who strive not just to be among the best but to top them all. There's the thought that the Jaguars are a team on the rise, and continued shows of disrespect like this one will make the chip on their shoulders larger, especially for Josh Hines-Allen. With his heart, intensity, and drive, this could only mean bad things for his opponents in 2025.

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