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The Jacksonville Jaguars made a few moves throughout the NFL offseason to strengthen their roster before the start of their 2023 campaign.
The Jaguars re-signed and added a few extra options as the 2023 NFL offseason rolled around. They re-signed safety Andrew Wingard to a three-year, $9.6 million contract in March. They brought back defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris on a three-year extension in February, locking down a player who played and started in 17 games for Jacksonville in 2022.
The Jaguars added 13 rookies to their roster via the 2023 NFL Draft, including Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison and Penn State tight end Brenton Strange. They shored up their defense with the selections of Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller, Oklahoma State defensive end Tyler Lacy, Louisville linebacker Yasir Abdullah and Texas A&M safety Antonio Johnson in the fourth and fifth rounds.
The Jaguars will have plenty to look out for before they enter the 2023 NFL season, including a few position battles during the team's training camp. The Jaguars' defense will feature linebackers Josh Allen, Devin Lloyd and Foyesade Oluokun. Allen and Lloyd, who were former first-round picks for Jacksonville, will both need to play important roles of their own if they are to boost the Jaguars' defense for years to come.
Who is one surprise player who could make or break the Jaguars' 2023 NFL season?
Travon Walker
Walker, a former first-round pick out of Georgia, has played in 15 games and started in 14 for Jacksonville since he was taken with the first-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He ended the 2022 season with a combined 49 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two pass deflections and one interception.
Walker said he wanted to work on playing faster in his second season during a July interview with Jaguars.com senior writer John Oehser.
“I want to focus more on just playing faster, not thinking as much, playing with a clear head,” Walker said, via Jaguars.com. “I've been in the scheme, so I really shouldn't be thinking as much. Now I should really be concentrating on the game of football to understand how veteran players do certain things, what are some tendencies I can pick up on from formations, things of that nature.
“There's so much going on in the rookie season, coming into a new scheme, new coaches, just having to get a feel of the people that I'm going to be around. Now I just really go back to the basic fundamental game of football.”
Jacksonville's defense ended last season with 4,055 passing yards allowed, putting them at 28th in the NFL behind the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons. Their 35 total sacks put them on par with the Carolina Panthers and at around 25th in the league. Allen led the squad with seven sacks in 2022, while Walker took fourth place with 3.5.
The Jaguars will need continued improvement from their former No. 1 pick to push their defense to a level that can pave the path for more extended runs in the NFL playoffs. Pederson did show confidence in the 26-year-old linebacker in March.
“You know, I love Travon, his compete,” Pederson said, via Jaguar Report contributor Brett Hawn. “I loved his length, his athleticism, his strength, love the way he practices the preparation. I think one of the things that I appreciated with Travon is how he kind of improved because, you know, some of these young guys don't know how to study the game as well and being able to show him how to study what to look for who to study, study great edge rushers in our game, and try to take some takeaways from that.
“And again, there's so much room for improvement with him just like Trevor, we can only go up right? And he can be a really dominant impact player for us. Plus he'll have an off-season to rest. Last year he was blown and going with 30 visits, combine, all that stuff. And now he's had a chance to recover, he'll get back in the weight room and start working on his craft.”
