Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen: Franchise Legend Takes No. 2 Spot Before Big Year

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- We are down to the final two, and there are no surprises.

We are almost finished with our annual rankings of the 25-most important Jaguars entering the 2026 season, and today comes the No. 2 spot. To little surprise, the owner of the prestigious spot on the list is none other than a living franchise legend: Josh Hines-Allen.

Why Josh Hines-Allen is So Important

hines jaguars — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) drills on defensive line coach Matt Edwards during the third day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

To win in the NFL, you need a pass-rush. The last two Super Bowl champions have each reached the mountain top by getting after the quarterback, and there is no player in the entire history of the Jaguars as a franchise who has done that better than Hines-Allen. The eighth-year pass-rusher set the franchise sack record last year, and he will look to add onto it during the 2026 season.

Hines-Allen sets the tone for the entire Jaguars' defense, and he is the name who offensive coordinators and linemen have in their heads the nights before they play the Jaguars. Without Hines-Allen, it is tough to even remember what the Jaguars' defense used to look like. He is the face of the unit, and the heart of the franchise.

Josh Hines-Allen's Strengths and Weaknesses

Hines-Allen has impacted the Jaguars' defense at a high level throughout his career because there really are not many things he can not do. He may not be regarded around the league as one of the best run defenders in football, but he is -- he has the ability to chase down plays to the sideline, but he also sets a hard edge and is an impossible blocking assignment for tight ends.

As a pass-rusher, Hines-Allen has a variety of tricks and traits that help him get after the quarterback. He creates consistent pressure and year-to-year is one of the most reliable pass-rushers in the entire NFL in terms of simply winning his matchups on passing downs. Whether it is with speed or power, Hines-Allen knows how to get to the quarterback.

If there is any fault to Hines-Allen's impressive skill-set and career to this point, it is likely the sack total. Hines-Allen averages under 10 sacks a season even if you remove his injury-filled 2020 season, and he has two seasons in which he has hit over eight sacks: 10.5 as a rookie and 17.5 in 2023. These numbers do not tell the full story of how well he impacts the passing game, but finishing sacks is really the only part of his game that can even improve at this point.

"I know sacks have been a huge thing in my position. For me, I don't think about it. I've been up here before and I’ve always said, man, that's not a thing that kind of carries me, me turning on the tape and me knowing that I'm whooping the guy in front of me and that guy knowing that as well, and coaches knowing that, coaches knowing I’ve got to play against him," Hines-Allen said at the start of the offseason program.

"That’s what kind of drives me. But again, man, I did a lot of things from last year, knowing things I need to do better, to finish better, and I’m looking to improve on those aspects to get the job done.”

What Happens if the Jaguars Need to Replace Josh Hines-Allen

There is a similar case here for the Jaguars as the one we discussed previously for defensive end Travon Walker. But what makes Hines-Allen's situation a bit different is the fact that he has consistently been one of the best pass-rushers in the entire NFL, so the drop off in the Jaguars' pass-rush would be even more significant without Hines-Allen than it was last year when Walker was out.

Hines-Allen has been the heart and soul of the Jaguars' pass-rush since he broke franchise records with a double-digit sack season in 2019. He dealt with injuries in his sophomore season in 2020, but since then he has been on a heater the likes of which few other players have matched. According to data from NextGenStats, here is where Hines-Allen ranks amongst qualified defenders in each year since:

Year	Pressures	Pressure Rate
2021	No. 22	No. 14
2022	No. 6	No. 6
2023	No. 2	No. 2
2024	No. 6	No. 11
2025	No. 4	No. 6

Outside of Hines-Allen, there is no pass-rusher on the Jaguars' roster who is coming anywhere close to these numbers -- not even Walker. That is why Hines-Allen has been so critical to the Jaguars' cause over the years, and that is why the Jaguars are in trouble if he ever misses time with injury. The Jaguars' pass-rush would be in trouble without Hines-Allen even if they had proven depth, but they do not have that at the moment, either.

The most likely scenario if Hines-Allen were to face injury issues would be for Danny Striggow to take his spot in the base defense, while linebacker Dennis Gardeck takes over his third-down role across from Walker. That does not seem to be a scenario the Jaguars should hope to find themselves in anytime soon, even if those players have all proven to be productive and valuable at one point or another.

Why We Ranked Josh Hines-Allen Here

Simply put, the Jaguars are not the Jaguars without Josh Hines-Allen. Trevor Lawrence might be the face of the franchise since he is the quarterback, but it is Hines-Allen whose name has already earned the right to be placed on the stadium walls alongside Tony Boselli, Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith, and others.

Hines-Allen has been the perfect Jaguar ever since he was drafted in 2019. He became the rare Jaguars' first-round pick to meet expectations, becoming a Pro Bowler as a rookie before becoming a long-time captain, community leader and, eventually, the franchise's all-time leader in sacks -- all before he even turned 29.

Just look at some of Hines-Allen's career highlights with the Jaguars:

His 61.0 career sacks are the most in franchise history

His 150 career quarterback hits and seven seasons with 10 or more quarterback hits are the most in franchise history

He is one of five players in the NFL (T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa and Aidan Hutchinson) since 2022 to have posted at least 40.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries

His 14 games with multiple sacks are the most in franchise history and are the sixth most in the AFC since he entered the league in 2019

He is one of the best players to ever represent Duval, and he was the only clear choice for the No. 2 spot on this list.

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