Jaguars Training Camp Battles to Watch: Nose Tackle
With NFL training camps set to kick off on July 28, it is time to examine which training camp battles will be the most hotly contested once the Jacksonville Jaguars hit the field again.
For the Jaguars, 2020 represents a year of transition. A new offensive scheme, Gardner Minshew II taking the reigns of the offense on a full-time basis and an overhauled roster that is now one of the youngest and most inexperienced in the league.
Once training camp rolls around, the Jaguars will have to short out the best way to field 22 starters in Week 1 vs. the Indianapolis Colts. Who should start at key positions such as cornerback, wide receiver, offensive tackle and more?
In an effort to gauge which training camp battles will be the most noteworthy and likely the hardest fought, we are going to take a look at the upcoming competition for several positions. Today, we look at the nose tackle position, a key piece of the defense that will look quite different in 2020.
For much of the last three seasons, Marcell Dareus had a firm grip on the team's starting nose tackle position, but a core muscle injury ended his season early in 2019 and he wasn't brought back to the team this offseason. In his place are returning veteran Abry Jones, free agent addition Al Woods and third-round pick DaVon Hamilton
So, with a new crop of nose tackles set to battle for the top spot in the middle of Jacksonville's defense, who has the leg up?
Nose tackle: Al Woods vs. Abry Jones vs. DaVon Hamilton
While the loss of Dareus hurt in 2019, the Jaguars made a point to address all possible avenues when it came to replacing him. Whether it be a returning mainstay, a long-time veteran who is a newcomer, or an athletic rookie, the Jaguars have several options when it comes to figuring out their nose tackle pecking order.
Woods, 33, spent last season as Seattle's chief run stuffer and he has long had a reputation as one of the league's more consistent interior run defenders. He offers little in the form of pash rush (5.5 sacks in 10 seasons), but he is a massive presence in the middle of the defense thanks to his 6-foot-4, 330-pound frame.
While Woods has never stuffed the stat sheet in his career, the Jaguars brought him in to perform a very specific role in the middle of Todd Wash's scheme. Last season, Woods recorded 32 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and two fumble recoveries.
"When you look at [Al] Woods, you see someone that I’ve known and played against and he’s always a tough guy to move, and I think he can give you, at times," head coach Doug Marrone said in March. "Al is a tough man to move, he’s a big human being and we expect him to come in there and really clog it up and play the run well."
Woods could have an inside track to the starting job thanks to the fact he has the most experience and is a proven run defender. Jacksonville's run defense was abysmal last season in large part because of the defensive line's inability to hold the point of attack, making Woods one of the most important players in this year's defense.
While Woods has been the most effective run stopper among the current trio of nose tackles, Abry Jones still brings his own traits to the table. Jones has been with the Jaguars since he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2013, and he is known today as one of the defense's true leaders.
Due to his leadership status among his teammates and his familiarity with the coaching staff and the defensive scheme, Jones could always push Woods hard for the starting position, or at least force Jacksonville's hand into utilizing a rotation. Jones struggled when anchoring vs. the run last season, but there is a reason he has stuck with the Jaguars as long as he has, and their faith in his abilities has never been questioned in recent years.
In seven seasons, Jones has appeared in 100 regular season games and started 47, recording 188 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles during the period. He will have to improve his run defense to push Woods, but he does give the Jaguars a better pass-rushing alternative.
Finally, there is Hamilton, who was the team's third-round selection (No. 73 overall) in April's NFL Draft and offers more pass-rush upside than either Woods or Jones. Thanks to his athletic ability and traits that suggest he could develop into a solid pass-rusher from nose tackle, he could realistically still see a decent amount of playing time, even if it is in a rotational third down role. In his final year with the Buckeye’s, Hamilton notched 28 total tackles—including 10.5 for loss—and six sacks along with a fumble recovery.
"We really feel good about him. He is a big guy. We think he is going to get a lot better even though he is really good right now," head coach Doug Marrone said after the Jaguars selected Hamilton. "You can see him on the move. He has such great strength at the holding point. I think he is going to really help us on the inside."
Hamilton is another big-bodied option for Jacksonville along the interior of the defensive line and while he has significantly less experience than both Hamilton and Woods, he could be the future of Jacksonville's nose tackle position. He may have to scratch and fight for snaps in 2020, but his outlook moving forward could be the most positive of any of the three nose tackles.
“His production per snap was really good. Like Coach Marrone said, since we lost Marcell [Dareus] with his injury, we have been missing a big body. That is why we got Al Woods. Now we have a young version of Al – 6’4, 320," general manager Dave Caldwell said about Hamilton following the draft.
"He is a guy that can hold the point [of attack]. We will have a nice rotation with those guys. DeVon, Abry [Jones], Taven [Bryan]. We wanted to get bigger up front and protect our linebackers and Joe [Schobert] and Myles [Jack].
Jacksonville could opt to make one player their primary nose tackle, or they could go with a full-fledged rotation. Whichever path they choose to go down, though, they will at least have more options than they did in 2019.
