The Jacksonville Jaguars had an A+ day to open the draft as edge rusher Josh Allen fell to them at the No. 7 pick. His abilities on the edge will make their already feared pass rush even better, however, there may be more to his addition than meets the eye. Thursday, Locked on Jags host Anthony Wiggins brought up the idea that the Jags could now move to a hybrid 3-4 as Allen’s addition now gives them all the pieces they need two diversify the scheme — and he very well could be on to something.
Additionally, it was also brought up that the Jags brought in Dom Capers as a defensive advisor, who ran a 3-4 scheme during his time in Green Bay. There were also some changes to the defensive coaching staff that may hint at a change, too.
When looking at the Jags’ defensive roster, they could play Yannick Ngakoue from two-point stance alongside Allen, which is what the young pass rusher did in Maryland anyway. Calais Campbell, who has also played in a 3-4 could play the five-technique or 4i-technique, while Taven Bryan could possibly be the other defensive end in the alignment. Marcell Dareus, who also has experience in a 3-4, could play nose tackle (zero-technique).
As for the linebackers, the addition of Capers’ former linebacker Jake Ryan may be the strongest indicator that the Jags might be eyeing some diversity in their scheme. He could play middle linebacker alongside Myles Jack in a 3-4 look. Of course, that would leave out Telvin Smith, however, one has to wonder if he’s in their long term plans anyway because they seem to have lost contact with the veteran this spring.
Last season, many fans criticized Todd Wash’s bland approach on defense as the team struggled to adjust to opponents at times and really stuck with the same looks for the most part. That could be why Tom Coughlin brought in his old friend in Capers so he and Wash could combine their minds to add a bit of diversity to the Jags defensive scheme.
Ultimately, we’ll have to wait until offseason training activities and training camp to progress to see what the team is thinking, while they also may make some more picks that could give fans an indication of their defensive plans.
Let us know what you all think in the comments.
