Jaguars' Scrimmage Notes: Five Observations On the Defense, Including Chaisson, Blitzes and a 3-4 Defense

Scrimmage may be a generous word to describe what the Jacksonville Jaguars held on Sunday inside the stadium at TIAA Bank Field. Dressed in only spiders and playing off the ball for a significant portion of the day, the defense was somewhat handicapped in what they were able to show. By the latter half of the day, the defense had been pulled back significantly, allowing the offense time to work on short gains and situation drills.

Yet this defense under Joe Cullen is still being stacked to be aggressive, and no amount of caution could keep them from showing out at times. The first half of the scrimmage (walk-through) showcased a defense eager to implement all they’ve learned thus far. During that time, several players and themes were noticeable. We examine the five biggest observations below, from the defensive side of the ball during Sunday’s practice.

It’s A Blitzkrieg!

We’ve seen it a few times at practice, but running more game-type situations on Sunday, it became clear, Defensive Coordinator Joe Cullen is willing to blitz from the parking lot. The first time DC has talked about disguising looks in order to sent pressure from a multitude of spots. He did just that on Sunday, dialing up blitzes from the secondary, the linebackers, around the edge and up the middle.

We’ll spare the specifics since particular lineups aren’t supposed to be shared. But a few examples: Dawuane Smoot—stepping in for Josh Allen who had to miss time for what Meyer called “happy news”—came quick and forced Trevor Lawrence out of the pocket for a hurried throw. Granted, Lawrence reset himself and got a ball to Josh Hammond past the chains for first down. But that’s a testament to Lawrence more so than a knock on Smoot for getting around his block with ease.

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins had a great play when he came streaking in from the backfield and got there in time to bat down a pass at the line. And one blitz in particular saw Corey Straughter, a depth DB, wrap into the backfield on a blitz that was the epitome of a disguise.

There are a lot of changes that come with a new scheme. As the Jaguars look to get more aggressive, they’re exhibiting a willingness to blitz from anywhere, putting extra pressure on the passer in a layer of ways.

Inside Linebacker Depth Behind Starters Is Worrisome

At inside linebacker, there is Myles Jack and Joe Schobert, then…well, that’s anyone’s guess. Damien Wilson, a free agent signing from the Kansas City Chiefs, is the best—and a good—option for sets that require three inside linebackers and/or as a backup to Joe Schobert. During one drive, Wilson was on the field with the second team defense. Just before the snap, he moved K’Lavon Chaisson over with his voice, then physically moved an interior lineman to the correct gap.

His past starting experience with the Chiefs—during two Super Bowl runs no less—makes him hard to keep off the field. But the chemistry Schobert and Jack have established makes them the ideal starting two, able to lock down the middle sideline-to-sideline.

Past those three though, there is a stark drop-off in production. And just as a side note on the offensive side of the ball, both quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew II took advantage when Schobert and Jack were off the field, getting tight ends across the middle and just picking apart the defense four to six yards at a time.

Things Are Clicking For Chaisson

At outside linebacker, K’Lavon Chaisson is showing marked improvement from not only last season, but the beginning of training camp. He was drafted to be a hybrid outside linebacker. Now allowed to actually play that position, he’s showing why he was a first round draft pick.

The position in question allows Chaisson to be on the line as well as drop in coverage.

“He’s SAM in our first down defense which is mostly 3-4. Then we go nickel, he goes to end so that’s mostly four down. So he’s been doing great, he’s had a good camp,” bragged Meyer after the scrimmage.

“He’s getting respect as he is—saying around here—four to six, A to B and he goes hard. He made a couple of mistakes yesterday but that’s our job. His job is to go hard and he’s doing it.

During one play, Chaisson peeled off the line to follow tight end Tim Tebow in coverage downfield. The ball was a little high and Tebow was unable to jump for it, with Chaisson on his back. He also spent much of the day in the backfield, albeit, only to stand there, not allowed to penetrate the bubble around the quarterbacks. His movements to get around the end of the line though are improving. Coupled with the freedom he has now to track the ball, training camp is uncovering the K’Lavon Chaisson that can make big impacts on a defense.

This Roster Is Nasty Enough To Play Man

We’re not going to speculate on how much zone coverage the Jaguars will play versus man, but we will pontificate on their ability to do the latter. Zone coverage benefits turnovers, but can also allow for tick-tack plays that steadily move the chains.

Putting a defense in man more calls for a physicality that the Jags honestly have lacked in recent years. It forces DB’s especially to body up the receiver they’re covering, and play tenacious hands ball. Staying on a man can leave open grass if you’re beat, so your defenders must play sticky. At least with the first wave of defenders, the Jags have a nasty personality that can get away with playing more man.

Corner Tyson Campbell, for example, is a smaller DB. But he drapes himself over whoever he’s covering, with hands to knock a ball away. Safety Rayshawn Jenkins is another who plays with no fear. He’ll move up into coverage on a tight end, like he did on Tim Tebow, and bow up like a linebacker to break up a pass.

And this is without even getting in to the velcro style of defense seen from corner Shaquill Griffin.

That sort of attitude rubs off on guys around them, like Tre Herndon—who played both nickel and outside corner on Sunday—and encourages pesky coverage that will make it hard to move the ball.

Congratulations, It’s A 304

The rumors are true. You have not been hustled, scammed, bamboozled, hoodwinked, or led astray. After years of being told, “maybe, possibly, at least some,” the Jaguars are in the process of fully implementing a 3-4/4-3 defense. Every formation we noted on Sunday was based out of that base defense.

It allowed guys to spread out more, in better position to counter the spread offense. It also gives the Jaguars more flexibility with numbers, meaning they can put guys like K’Lavon Chaisson on the field more at SAM, like Meyer talked about, as well as keep the secondary in nickel more often. Both of those things play better to the skills of the guys they have on the roster.

The transition hasn’t come at the expense of the trenches. Meyer’s mantra is the defensive line is the most important unit on the team, so it makes sense he wouldn’t ignore the unit. While there may be fewer bodies on the line now, those in place have a wide-ranging skillset to cover their gaps individually. Roy Robertson-Harris and Malcom Brown specifically bring a yin and yang; a big body and wide wingspan to tear through lines.

Brown, for his part, made one of the plays of the day on defense. Busting through to the backfield, he was closing in on quarterback Jake Luton. As a result, he was in the perfect place when Luton—in intense humidity—let the ball slip out of the back of his hands. It landed in the waiting paws of Brown, who sprinted forward for the big man touchdown.

The front office in the last regime tried to force a 3-4 defense, drafting players for that scheme. There was a disconnect between that office and the coaching staff who wanted to run something different and the disastrous results were seen on the field. Now, the Jaguars can shift to a more modern defensive scheme and find their cupboard already stocked to do so.