JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This was supposed to be a big season for Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher Josh Allen.
He made changes to his offseason training program, new defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell implemented an aggressive defense that puts a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and the team drafted Travon Walker No. 1 overall to play on the opposite side of the defense.
Everything seems to be in place … but the sacks and impact plays have just not come very often -- and haven't come when the Jaguars (2-6) need them most.
“I think Josh is a really good player,” coach Doug Pederson said. “Josh is a good leader. Josh is valuable to this football team, and he knows that there’s times when he needs to play better, and that can be the case for a few guys. That’s all part of the longevity of the season. It’s the grind of the season and being at your peak every single Sunday.
“Coaches and players, you just can’t take plays off. You can’t take days off, you can’t rest [and] you’ve just got to keep pushing. He knows that. He understands that. We expect great things from him.”
Allen has just three sacks in eight games. Two came in the Jaguars’ 24-0 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 and the other came in the third quarter of the Jaguars’ 29-21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.
Allen has 12 quarterback hits, but only three in the last four games, and hasn’t made more than two tackles in a game since Week 4.
He has also been absent when the Jaguars have needed him most. The Jaguars had fourth-quarter leads against the Houston Texans, Colts, New York Giants and Denver Broncos, but the defense gave up game-winning scoring drives. That’s obviously not all Allen’s fault, but as a Top 10 draft pick, he's counted on to make plays when the game is on the line.
He knows it, too.
“I absolutely have not been playing to the standard that I know I can play,” Allen said. “... I don’t feel like I have been consistently bad. I just haven’t been consistently making those plays that I know I can make, and should, make at this point.
“Being consistent is just making the plays that need to be made.”
Allen made them as a rookie in 2019, setting a franchise rookie record with 10.5 sacks. However, that came when playing alongside Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue. He had a disappointing second season, missing eight games with a knee injury and recording just 2.5 sacks and 13 tackles. He said previously he believes the injury and lack of production is related to the virtual offseason teams had because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Allen was better last season with 7.5 sacks, a career-high 71 tackles and his first career interception, but his issue was consistency. He had 5.5 sacks in his first eight games, capped by the best game of his career against the Buffalo Bills when he had a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery and eight tackles.
However, he had just three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and no sacks over the team's next eight games (where he missed one game because of COVID-19 protocols) before a two-sack performance in the season finale.
Allen said this summer his offseason program focused on movements and durability while training at EXOS in Phoenix for several weeks. He also worked out with former defensive end Bertrand Berry at Train’s Station in Phoenix and also attended Von Miller’s annual pass-rush summit.
Allen got off to a good start this season, where he had eight tackles, nine quarterback hits and a forced fumble to go with his three sacks in the first four games. He hasn’t sustained it, however, in a season that could help earn him a big contract. Unless he turns things around, he’ll likely play 2023 on a fifth-year option and have to prove he deserves an extension.
Caldwell said the Jaguars need Allen and the rest of the defense to play better. Hopefully they can show it on the field Sunday at home against the Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
“The message really this week has been ‘Raise your level.’ Everyone [has to],” Caldwell said. “Josh is one of our good players, and you need your good players to play good.”