In a New Era of Jaguars Pass Rushers, Josh Allen’s Development Will Be Key in 2020

With Calais Campbell gone and Yannick Ngakoue likely to join him soon, Jacksonville's pass rush will be undergoing a massive makeover this season, making Josh Allen one of the team's most important players.

2020 will be quite the change for the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense, yet another transition year in what has been a complete overhaul of the elite defense the franchise fielded each week in 2017. 

Recently included in that overhaul has been the Jaguars' entire pass-rushing core from 2017, a year in which the Jaguars were second in the NFL with 55 sacks. That season, the Jaguars sent three linemen to the Pro Bowl in Calais Campbell (14.5 sacks), Yannick Ngakoue (12), and Malik Jackson (eight). In addition, backup defensive end Dante Fowler produced eight sacks of his own. 

A lot has changed since that dominant pass-rushing group, however. Fowler was traded during the 2018 season, while Jackson was released in the 2019 offseason. Earlier this offseason, the purge of the Jaguars' defensive line continued as the Jaguars dealt Calais Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2020 fifth-round pick. 

In an ideal situation, the Jaguars would be bringing Ngakoue back in 2020 to help lead their overhauled pass rush, but this appears to be a long shot as Ngakoue continues to campaign for an exit out of Jacksonville. Ngakoue has spent the bulk of the 2020 offseason asking for a new start elsewhere, so it would seem to be more likely for the Jaguars to trade Ngakoue than for him to voluntarily suit up for the squad next season.

So, who does that leave the Jaguars with on third downs? This month's NFL Draft could surely change things, but presently the Jaguars' nickel defense likely looks like some combination of Josh Allen (10.5 career sacks), Taven Bryan (three career sacks), Dawuane Smoot (six career sacks), and Rodney Gunter (11 career sacks). Jacksonville could also rotate players such as Cassius Marsh (14 career sacks) or Lerentee McCray (four career sacks) at the defensive end spot across from Allen.

In short, the Jaguars' pass-rushing unit looks absolutely abysmal if you consider the likely event of Ngakoue being traded before the season begins. In losing Campbell and Ngakoue, the Jaguars would have to replace 14.5 sacks and six forced fumbles from one year ago. 

There is, however, one glaring positive the Jaguars can lean on while they reshape their pass-rush: the second-year development of Allen. 

Expectations are high for Allen after a rookie season in which he recorded 10.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and 23 quarterback hits. The No. 7 overall pick in 2019 will be relied upon much more in 2020 than he was in 2019, however. 

In his rookie season, Allen played behind Ngakoue and served in a rotational role at defensive end, rarely seeing starter-level snaps. On the entire season, Allen played only 634 snaps (60% of snaps) in comparison to Ngakoue's 790 snaps (75%). 

But in 2020, this won't be the case. Instead, Allen will be asked to lead the Jaguars' pass-rush and defensive line in general as he takes another step in his young career. The trio of Allen, Ngakoue, and Campbell, was phenomenal in 2019, but now Allen will have to navigate third downs without either of his two pass-rushing elders.

Because of the loss of Campbell, and the eventual loss of Ngakoue, Allen's development this offseason will be one of the crucial storylines surrounding the team. Allen produced at a high level in limited snaps last season, but in 2020 he will need to prove he can be a consistent presence off of the edge as he attempts to help Jacksonville transition into a team without Campbell and Ngakoue.

"I think you’re only seeing the surface. I really do. I think that he has the ability to be one of those players that are going to be able to play at a high level for a long period of time," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said about Allen in October. 

"I mean he’s going to get so much better. He’s playing well for us, but we really have high expectations for him and what he can do."

For the Jaguars to get to the quarterback in 2020, it will be imperative that Allen takes the next step in his development and continues to show the Jaguars that he is on his way to reaching his massive ceiling. 

Allen was good in 2019, but in 2020, the Jaguars will likely need him to be great. There will be no Campbell to call upon when double-teams are sent toward Allen, while it is a stretch to believe Ngakoue will come flying off of the other edge across from Allen. 

But Allen showed enough in 2019 for the Jaguars to have faith he can take that step. He has the athleticism, work ethic, and passion to lead a pass-rushing unit that will likely rely on him and him only, even if another stage of development needs to be taken. 

The Jaguars' 2020 season will hinge on a number of players, such as Gardner Minshew II and DJ Chark, and Allen is included in this group. While some may be concerned about what the loss of Campbell and eventually Ngakoue could mean for Allen's own development, it should be remembered that the Jaguars drafted him with the idea that he was an elite player in his own right. 

2019 showed the Jaguars they were closer to being right than anything else when it comes to Allen. And for their defense to have success in 2020, they will need even more.