Could Strong Side Be Yasir Abdullah's Jaguars Future?

There are players that gel right away, and others that bloom later.

Jacksonville Jaguars LB Yasir Abdullah is a player whose roots haven't taken in Duval yet, placing him on the dreaded bubble. In the most-recent episode of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, On SI Beat Writer John Shipley listed his three Jags on the bubble.

"When I think of players on the bubble, one of the first players that I think of is Yasir Abdullah, third-year linebacker. The Jaguars, it seemed, I wouldn't say never had a plan for him, as much as I I'm wondering what kind of plan they could have had for him. Like, it definitely seems like he's a tough player to kind of figure out a plan for. You know, it took him in [the] fifth round, 136 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Still a young player, still just 25-years old, but through two years, he has played 19 games for the Jaguars. He's recorded 19 tackles, two quarterback hits, no tackles for loss, no sacks."

That lack of production has put a bullseye on Abdullah. Just why hasn't it worked for the player with promise coming out of Louisville in 2023? Was the scheme fit all wrong for Yasir?

"It just kind of been 'ehhh" for Yasir Abdullah during his Jaguars tenure so far. And the tough thing with him was, first he gets drafted to Mike Caldwell's defense. Well on that defense, which obviously was a 3-4 scheme, he made a lot more sense as an outside linebacker, you know, somebody who could rush off the edge, somebody who would take depth behind Josh Hines-Allen, somebody who would take depth behind Travon Walker. And then, of course, as a rookie, [he] just simply didn't play much."

Shipley did, however, suggest that the regime change could benefit Yasir Abdullah in 2025. Under incoming DC Anthony Campanile, a switch to Sam linebacker position in Jacksonville's 4-3 defensive system that started last season under Ryan Nielsen.

"Moving into last season now they are a 4-3 team. Now [Abdullah] makes sense as a Sam linebacker, somebody who can play still kind of on ball on the line of scrimmage. You know, when they're bringing the Sam up to the closed defensive end like that. He can drop in coverage in terms of like dropping into, like, hook zones and curl zones and drop as an edge to cover the flats, to an extent, I think. But he's not somebody you're trying to get one-on-one in coverage with running backs, with linebackers like you would, you know, traditional off-ball linebackers. So he's always kind of been a tweener."

"Is he an off-ball linebacker? Is he an edge? And now [it] definitely seems like their point of reference for him and how they want to use him is as a Sam linebacker. They're in a 4-3 defense this year, and we saw throughout the off season program, him and [2025 sixth-rounder] Jalen McLeod getting reps in that Sam linebacker spot. So it really seemed like it's a battle between him andMcLeod for that spot. I'm not sure, like, I wouldn't say for a spot in the starting lineup, because I don't think whoever wins the spot will start, but those are two have been practicing that specific position. It'll obviously come up at specific times and for specific matchups. But do they keep the guy this regime just drafted or [do] they keep the third-year guy who they don't have a lot of tape on, who they didn't invest in?"

The question is a valid one, but to earn the job and stay in Duval, Yasir Abdullah will need to ball out and let his performance on the practice field be the pin to pop the bubble.

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