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: 05.06.23
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 : 05, 2023 9:56 am : 2019 NFL Training Camp battles How will |
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Training camps are in full bloom. There have already been a , the as the pecking order at position groups around the league begin to take shape, a , and . In other words, football -- both the good and the bad -- is finally back. As the preseason nears and the regular season inches closer, here at CBS Sports we're continuing our training camp series that takes a look at the most important positional battle for each and every team. With that in mind, it's time to move onto Jacksonville, where an intriguing competition at linebacker has materialized this summer due to the sudden departure of one key player. Why this battle is key While cornerbacks and A.J. Bouye and edge rushers and have captured most of the accolades as the ' defense has risen to glory over the past couple seasons, the linebacker group also deserves a wealth of credit. Since the Jaguars' defense has emerged as one of the league's top defensive units, the linebacker group -- spearheaded by and -- has been a real strength of the team. As such, the Jaguars haven't had to worry about their linebackers for a while now. But circumstances have changed. In May, Smith announced that . It's a Sean Rodriguez Jersey huge lo s, one the Jaguars couldn't have really seen coming. As you can see below via Warren Sharp, Smith hasn't just been a good player since he entered the league as a fifth-round pick in 2014; he's been historically good. This is what the Jaguars are losing in 2019: One of only 13 players in NFL history to record 100+ tackles in each of their first 5 seasons.Also the only player with at least:-100 tackles-2 INTs-1 fumble recoveryin EACH of the last 3 seasons.Only 15 other players have done that in even ONE of the last three seasons Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) How the Jaguars replace Smith might not matter as much as how performs as the team's new franchise quarterback, but it will matter a great deal. While the Jaguars' defense was still very good last season ( ), it was't the unstoppable force it was in 2017 ( ), which propelled them to the conference championship game before did Tom Brady things to render their defensive dominance insignificant. While Foles could help the team get back to that point, it's more likely Foles will be his normal inconsistent self with stratospheric peaks and deep craters, which means the Jaguars will need their defense to reclaim their status as the league's top defense if they're going to journey deep into January. That's why the battle at linebacker matters. The Jaguars didn't just . They also lost one of the best linebackers in football -- at least for a year, anyway. Players in the Mix MLB Myles Jack At the Philadelphia Phillies Jersey very least, the Jaguars won't be forced to soldier on without Jack, who isn't just one of the team's best players, but is. Jack will be back. And it's not unfair to suggest he could still be peaking. After falling to the second round in the 2016 draft due to injury concerns, Jack has proven he holds the talent level of a first-round pick. He's yet to mi s a game in his three-year career. In that span, he's racked up 219 combined tackles. He's seen his stats improve every single season, as his yearly tackle output has jumped from 22 to 90 David Robertson Jersey to 107. Jack will undoubtedly start, barring an untimely injury before Week 1. He's going to be the anchor in the middle of the Jaguars' defense. Nobody needs to worry about him. It's the areas around him -- the weak and strong sides -- that it begins to get dicey. The Jaguars could, in theory, decide to shift Jack to the weak side -- where Smith used to play -- while allowing someone else to handle the middle. Asking Jack to switch positions might prove to be unwise, though. The Jaguars are probably better off letting Jack remain where he excelled a season ago instead of moving him to fix a problem at the weak side and in the proce s, accidentally turning one problem into two. Jack should remain in the middle, even though he has the flexibility to slide around. MLB Jake Ryan Let's say the Jaguars were to shift Jack to the weak side. If they did, Ryan would probably become the top candidate to replace Jack in the middle. Coming over from Green Bay this offseason, Ryan flew under the radar with the when he's been a mostly solid contributor over the course of his career. In three seasons (he mi sed all of his fourth with a torn ACL), he's tallied 206 combined tackles, 15 of which went for a lo s. He averaged 80 combined tackles per season from 2016-17. The only problem? Ryan still isn't quite healthy enough to play. Working his way back from that torn ACL, Ryan is stuck on the non-football injury list. It's not clear "(A timetable for Ryan's return) hasn't become clearer Chase Utley Jersey ," coach Doug Marrone said recently, per The Athletic. "Not trying to hold anything from you." If he's healthy, he should back up Jack in the middle. He could also see the field if Jack were to shift positions. But first, he needs to get healthy. When he does, he's likely to become an important depth piece. SLB After logging three starts and 12 overall appearances last season, Jacobs is the primary candidate to begin the season as the Jaguars' strong side linebacker. The 2018 seventh-round pick has already mostly exceeded expectations and he'll have a chance to take on a larger role in his second season as the team's likely Week 1 starter. He doesn't have much competition at the position. But with defenses around the league relying on nickel packages far more frequently to deal with three-receiver sets, Jacobs should see the field le s often than his counterparts.WLB Let's move onto the candidates to replace Smith at weak side linebacker. This is the Jaguars' biggest area of concern on the defensive side of the ball. The Jaguars' best-case scenario is Williams winning the job, because he probably holds the most potential to develop into a long-term solution at the position. He's a third-round rookie out of Murray State, which makes him raw, which could make it difficult for him to capture the starting job before the season begins. But if he's able to pick up the defense and adjust to the NFL, he should be the starter. He has the makings of a potential standout performer. During his final season at Murray State, Williams racked up 111 total tackles, 9.5 of which went for a lo s. In his pre-draft profile of Williams, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein noted -- and it's his speed that has stood out so far at training camp. It Jim Bunning Jersey 's a little tough to see due to the camera angle, but look at how quickly Williams covered the running back in the flat on the opposite side of the field: 56 is everywhere, covered the RB in the flat for no gain marhsim (@marhsim) Again, in the clip below, watch as Williams covers the running back, this time on the nearest sideline. Foles with a TD to 12, but watch how Quincy blankets Fournette and forces Foles to look elsewhere marhsim
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