Dolphins Must Tame Jaguars’ Front Seven In Week 1
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars may not have been a playoff team last season, but they’re far from the perennial pushovers they’ve been in the past. Trevor Lawrence once again is manning the offense, coming off a “down” season which still saw him throw for 4,000 yards. The Miami Dolphins defense will have its hands full containing him, 1K-yard running back Travis Etienne, and star receiver Calvin Ridley. But it wasn’t the offense that landed atop the agenda at Mike McDaniel’s Monday presser.
Nope, after the congratulations were extended from the media to McDaniel following his four-year extension, the attention quickly turned to the Jaguars’ defense. The coach outlined the challenges of facing Jacksonville’s stout front seven.
“How they come off the ball, how they play with consistent technique and fundamentals and their relentless strain,” glowed McDaniel when asked what stands out about the defensive group. “That’s something that’s been paramount in [defensive coordinator Ryan] Neilsen’s kind of repertoire…. Very talented group that is playing hard together.”
The Jags’ secondary was vulnerable last season, but it’s difficult to lay the blame on the first two levels of the defense. During 2023, Jacksonville finished ninth in Run Stop Win Rate (32%) and 15th in Pass Rush Win Rate (42%), per ESPN. The team is also bringing back their stellar 1-2 punch at edge rusher in Josh Hines-Allen (17.5 sacks) and Travon Walker (10.0 sacks).
McDaniel heaped praise on Walker, who essentially doubled his rookie production in both QB hits (from 10 to 19) and Tackles For Loss (5 to 10) last season. “Not just on pass, but in your run, you’re scared of Walk,” he told the media. “[He’ll make] a play at the point of attack or from the back side of a play…. You can tell that they’re preparing to put him in positions to make plays and be a primary area of focus.”
The coach didn’t downplay the challenge ahead of his offensive line on Sunday. “It’s going to take several people to slow him down, for sure.” It’s an interesting comment, given how easily the team dismissed any concerns about their O-Line last week. Chris Grier told the press that he and his coach “chuckle about” the annual worries that surround the unit.
In fairness to the team, Miami’s line is going to get a boost in Aaron Brewer, who is practicing again at center and whose status for Week 1 was previously (and perhaps, still is) unknown. Brewer’s presence should be a bulwark against the Jaguars’ front seven, as he finished last year with a 71.6 PFF grade. Being particularly strong in the rushing game (78.7 PFF grade as a run-blocker) will help negate Jacksonville’s strength at shutting down the ground attack.
“I feel great about the offensive line,” McDaniel declared. “I also feel great about the contingencies in place should [Brewer not be ready].” When pressed about why he feels so good about the offensive line, McDaniel responded, “Because the adversity we’ve had since the spring has proven to be a wonderful opportunity to really get looks at players in different spots… It’s almost as if it was the training staff’s diabolical plan to mix up the groups early, so that we can just not even bat an eye once we got into regular season mode.”
It helps that Miami has that four-deep rotation of running backs in Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, and Jeff Wilson. The Dolphins finished 2023 with the sixth-most rushing yards per game (135.8). In eight match-ups against the top half of run defenses last season (Buffalo Bills twice, New England Patriots twice, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee Titans), they managed to average 115.1 yards on the ground.
It’s strength-versus-strength in the run game, but if Terron Armstrong and Austin Jackson keep Hines-Allen and Walker at bay, the passing game has a chance to flourish. There’s that pesky “if,” though. “They’re super talented [and] if you’re not on your game, you will be exposed,” McDaniel said bluntly.
The offensive line is going to have their work cut out for them in Week 1, and that will be very much the norm throughout the season. We noted that Jacksonville was in the NFL’s top half in both Pass Rush and Run Stop Win Rate last season. The same is true of Buffalo (Weeks 2 and 9), the Indianapolis Colts (Week 7), the Los Angeles Rams (Week 10), followed by a Week 15-17 gauntlet of the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, and Cleveland Browns.
“That’s something that you have to be used to in the National Football League in terms of protecting the passer,” McDaniel said. “You don’t get a week off from elite pass-rushers and unified fronts.”
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