The Jaguars have prioritized adding experienced depth to the DE position, something that Liam Coen recently discussed the value of.
Adding proven experience at the defensive end position has been an obvious emphasis for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Just this week alone, the team signed Dawuane Smoot and Dennis Gardeck, but even going back to just after the NFL draft, the Jaguars also brought in Emmanuel Ogbah.
As we know, Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are going to lead the way at this position group for Jacksonville. However, when it comes to the defensive end position and the defensive line in general, these are relatively heavily rotated position groups with oftentimes four defenders–and around the NFL, sometimes five–seeing regular snaps each week.
While Hines-Allen and Walker were two of the more productive defensive ends last season when it came to getting after the quarterback, as a collective unit, the Jaguars ranked near the bottom in pressures and pressure rate in 2024.
More all-around consistency is needed this season, and when relying on young, inexperienced players to fill in behind Hines-Allen and Walker–which the Jaguars were before these additions–there comes a lot of uncertainty.
Before signing Ogbah, Smoot, and Gardeck, the Jaguars’ defensive end depth consisted of 2024 seventh-round pick Myles Cole, who played 135 snaps as a rookie, and 2025 UDFAs Ethan Downs, Danny Striggow, and BJ Green.
“You want, we talked about it the other day, waves of maybe some different types of rushers at times,” Liam Coen said of the defensive end position after Thursday’s practice. “When you’re playing in the trenches specifically, when you come in and maybe you’re a UDFA or a rookie in general, that size, that strength, that speed, especially in the trenches, is different for anybody.
At various points in their careers, Ogbah, Smoot, and Gardeck have all had productive seasons. Ogbah has had two 60-plus pressure seasons in his career. Smoot has recorded a 50-pressure season, and Gardeck a 40-plus pressure season. Coen also mentioned that during his time with the LA Rams, Gardeck was on their “game-wrecker” board anytime they played Arizona.
Each of these players also brings something different to the Jaguars’ defensive front from a pass-rush perspective, and now in secondary roles at this point in their careers, can provide some experienced juice behind Hines-Allen and Walker.
“So there’s always a curve, there’s always going to be a learning curve and physical growth curve that is going to occur,” added Coen. “But getting some of those guys that have established themselves in this league and played meaningful snaps, I think will just help us in times of crisis and just to be a little bit more consistent in someway, knowing that we’re pretty young as a team in general.”
