Duo of Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson Set to be Vital for Jaguars in 2020
Arguably the most important aspect of any defense is its ability to disrupt opposing quarterbacks. Pass rushers have long been at a premium in the NFL, and stockpiling them is a common strategy for teams looking to mold their defenses around its defensive line.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have particularly benefitted from this type of team-building in the past, especially in recent years. For the last three seasons, the Jaguars had front fours who earned the name of "Sacksonville" thanks to a collection of talent like Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Malik Jackson, Dante Fowler and others.
But in 2020, Jacksonville's pass rush is set to look immensely different. Gone are Campbell, Jackson and Fowler. Ngakoue is still technically on the team's non-active roster, but he has said he does not want to play for the Jaguars and publically asked for the team to trade him over the course of the offseason.
Ngakoue is the most established pass rusher on Jacksonville's team, but he so far has not signed the franchise tag tender the team placed on him in March, leading to the question of whether he will play for the team in 2020. If he doesn't suit up for the team in the fall, there will be a serious void.
With so much turnover and question marks along the defensive line, the Jaguars will now have to look for different ways to get to the quarterback. Perhaps the most important part of the team's current pass rush is the tandem of second-year defensive end Josh Allen and rookie outside linebacker/defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson, a pair of supremely athletic edge defenders who Jacksonville has invested first-round picks in during the last two drafts.
"I’m going on year two and I’m looking on improving what I did last year. He’s coming into the league full fire and ready to go. So we can just do as much as we can," Allen said Wednesday in a virtual press conference.
"We are going to compete to be the best at everything we do and that’s all we can do. Just having us two, I feel like we can definitely grow together and become a scary tandem in a couple of years or this year. We’ll just see how it plays out and I’m really excited about this year.”
Allen, of course, had a successful rookie season in 2019. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft set the franchise rookie sack record with 10.5, which also led the Jaguars and all NFL rookies. He earned a Pro Bowl trip as a rookie, but he often pointed to Campbell and Ngakoue's mentorship and ability on the field.
Without those two pass rushing partners from last year, Allen will now have to lean on Chaisson, the No. 20 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft. Expectations are high for the physically-gifted defender out of LSU, especially in the eyes of Allen.
“I mean there ain’t no try, he has to," Allen said when asked about Chaisson stepping into his shoes from just a year ago.
"We try to bring in guys that are willing to compete and play from day one. He’s a guy that we look upon to play a big role this year."
Allen knows his successful rookie season can benefit Chaisson, whether it is giving him an example to strive to meet or just some veteran guidance. Chaisson has already spoken this training camp about Allen and looking up to his status in the franchise, a sign of respect between the two.
“We have been talking a lot. We actually worked out a few times as well with each other. I kind of look at him as the role model, someone to follow, after all of the success he had," Chaisson said earlier this week.
"I can say that people have bragged about his character and the way he’s displayed around the facilities as someone that I want to be looked at like that as well. Like I said, I look at him like a big brother and he’s kind of helped me welcome my way into the league and try to be a pro as best as I can.”
Considering how much the Jaguars' defense will need Allen and Chaisson to be on the same page, the relationship between the two will be key. Allen was at his best last season when he and Ngakoue were both getting in their pass rushing grooves at the same time, with the two pinning their ears back together and attacking both sides of offensive lines throughout the league.
Now, Allen will potentially have to look to Chaisson to provide that pass rush off of the edge. And in the event Ngakoue does play for the Jaguars in 2020, Allen and Chaisson would still be set to be the building blocks of the team's defensive line moving forward.
"What I did last year is what I did last year and that’s something that could strive him to be better than me. I’m going to do as much as I can to help him get to that point," Allen said about Chaisson.
"He’s a great guy, he’s a great football player, on and off the field. I talked to him a couple times and his head and his mind are in the right place to be a dominant football player in this league. I still got a lot to grow on and being with a guy like that we can grow together, and we can probably be the best two defensive players in the country at one point. T
"hat’s my mindset and that’s his mindset and once we all get together, we can talk a little bit more and we can work together a little bit more. I haven’t been able to work with him since I got back since they’re separating the groups. But as soon as we get together, we are going to be staying after practice, we are going to be working a lot, we are going to watch film together. We’ve got something special, he’s a special player, special talent and I can’t wait to see him be successful in the NFL."
