Jaguars Salary Cap: How Is Money Being Spent on Defense in 2022?

Few teams were as willing to spend money as the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason. Faced with a new coaching staff, a surplus of cap space and a need to quickly raise both the floor and ceiling of a 3-14 roster, the Jaguars spent money in quite a few areas throughout March and April.

"I think this is a desirable place. I know some people don't think so. But it is, you know, there's a lot of players that wanted to be here for various reasons, each guy had his own reason," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said in the days following the first wave of free agency.

"But, money does play a factor. Let's not kid ourselves. But at the same time, the energy here, the community, what's going on in this community, I think played a role. We brought a young man back that grew up in this community, so he's excited. He had other opportunities, and that's been well documented. He chose to come home. So there's a lot of reasons. The head coach, the coaching staff, the ties they had with certain players, you know, all of that factors into this."

But just how much are the Jaguars spending on each side of the ball in 2022? Who is getting paid the most, and which groups stand out compared to the rest of the NFL?

Related: Jaguars Salary Cap: How Is Money Being Spent on Offense in 2022?

We break down the offense and defense to find the answer. Next up, the defense. Who is the highest-paid player on the salary cap this season, which group has the most money tied to it, and more. All figures come from Over The Cap.

Defense

2022 spending: $123,332,893

Highest-paid player: CB Shaquill Griffin ($16,441,176)

NFL rank in 2022: No. 2

The only team spending more on the defensive side of the ball than the Jaguars in 2022 is the Pittsburgh Steelers. While this isn't overly surprising considering the first-round picks and big-money signings the Jaguars have made on defense over the years, it still shows just how far the defense needs to come to meet the investment the Jaguars have poured into the unit.

EDGE

2022 spending: $30,554,945

Highest-paid player: Josh Allen ($7,236,293)

NFL rank in 2022: No. 5

The Jaguars are spending big money at pass-rusher for a few reasons. One, they have Josh Allen in the fourth year of his first-round deal, along with Travon Walker having the cap hit of the No. 1 overall pick at $6,795,022. Two, you can add in Dawuane Smoot's deal, along with those of Arden Key and former first-round pick K'Lavon Chaisson, and it makes sense why only the 49ers, Chargers, Jets, and Steelers are paying more for edge rushers in 2022.

Interior Defensive Line

2022 spending: $29,439,030

Highest-paid player: Roy Robertson-Harris ($9,062,745)

NFL rank in 2022: No. 6

Another position the Jaguars have invested in significantly in recent seasons has been the interior defensive line. Most of the Jaguars' spending is tied to Roy Robertson-Harris, Malcom Brown, and 2022 signee Foley Fatukasi, setting the stage for this to be one of the units with the most pressure on it. Only the Rams, Steelers, Giants, Chiefs, and Colts will spend more on interior defensive linemen this year.

Linebacker

2022 spending: $13,520,608

Highest-paid player: Foyesade Oluokun ($6,666,666)

NFL rank in 2022: No. 14

The Jaguars shed a lot of money off the books at linebacker over the last 12 months, dumping the salaries of Myles Jack and Joe Schobert. The Jaguars are paying a good bit in dead money for each in 2022, but their linebacker room consists of one highly-paid player in free agent addition Foyesade Oluokun and then several players on rookie or cheap deals, such as 2022 first-rounder Devin Lloyd.

Cornerback

2022 spending: $34,344,153

Highest-paid player: CB Shaquill Griffin ($16,441,176)

NFL rank in 2022: No. 2

Most of the money at cornerback for the Jaguars is tied to Shaquill Griffin, who takes up over 50% of their spending at the unit for 2022, and 2022 free agent addition Darious Williams. Tyson Campbell's cap hit is over $2 million considering he is paid more than most No. 33 overall picks, but for now the Jaguars' spending at corner revolves around Griffin, who has the third-highest cap hit at cornerback in 2022 and the highest cap hit on the Jaguars' roster. Only the Ravens will spend more at cornerback this season.

Safety

2022 spending: ($15,474,157)

Highest-paid player: Rayshawn Jenkins ($9,911,765)

NFL rank in 2022: No. 10

Almost 66% of the Jaguars' spending at safety in 2022 is tied to Jenkins, who has the seventh-highest 2022 cap hit among all safeties in the NFL. The rest of the Jaguars' safeties are players on rookie deals like Daniel Thomas, Andre Cisco, and Andrew Wingard, though Rudy Ford does carry a $2,350,000 cap hit.