Will Arik Armstead Reach Higher Horizons in 2025 in Jacksonville?

It seems inconceivable that Defensive Lineman Arik Armstead has never earned a Pro Bowl bid in his ten NFL seasons with both the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars. But last season in Duval, Armstead was moved all around the defensive front and battled through injuries despite playing in all 17 games.

Will Armstead realize his great potential and ascend to a higher level? The new regime, consisting of Head Coach Liam Coen and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile is surely banking on it. On a recent podcast featuring Jaguars on SI Beat Writer John Shipley, Armstead was included on a list of players expected to shine in Training Camp.

"I think everything is in place for Arik Armstead to have a resurgent season," said Shipley. Looking at his numbers last year, there is no real reason for Armstead to have been playing defensive end last year. It doesn't seem like anybody can come to a consensus on why he played it so much, who was really at fault, etc, but it just shouldn't have happened."

"Looking at his pressure splits when he played defensive tackle compared to when he played defensive end, it makes you wonder what was really going on. It makes you wonder how an NFL coaching staff could think that it is what was best for the team, week in, week out. And I get it they didn't have defensive end depth, but that's something you do in the off-season."

"The media had been screaming at [then GM] Trent Baalke for several off-seasons that he didn't have defensive end depth, and he more or less laughed it off. So I think now that you see Armstead at his more natural position at three technique, I think you'll see and hear a lot more from him over the course of training camp," continued Shipley.

"He didn't practice much in training camp last year due to an injury last year but has been, at least to my knowledge, a 100% participant through the off-season program, etc, fully healthy, whatever you want to call it. I think now that he'll be practicing a three-technique, and not as a 300-pound or near 300-pound defensive end, that you will see more impact plays from him over the course of training camp.

"I think that him moving inside is going to do wonders for him, and to me, it should help him at least put forth some of the production that so many people expected of him [like] I did last year."

They say that you're never too old to reinvent yourself. While Arik Armstead is not in need of reinvention, he can surely benefit from a great year, and great years get players selected to the Pro Bowl. That would be a feather in Arik's hat at the age of 32.

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