Doug Pederson: An improved pass rush is ‘vital’ for Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to make defensive improvements before the 2023 season begins and step one is finding a way to apply more pressure to opposing quarterbacks, according to head coach Doug Pederson.

“I think we’ve got to improve our pass rush. I think that’s vital, particularly on third down,” Pederson said Monday at a league meeting in Phoenix. “I thought we were good [against] the run, we just gotta continue to get better [against] the run and shore up some things there.

“I think the passing game is the area we have to look at and address in the offseason, and clean that part of it up. It all starts up front, putting pressure on the quarterback, whether we’re doing that with four guys or five guys. You want to see Travon [Walker] take that next step in year two. You want to see Josh [Allen] come along again as an edge rusher and really, in his fifth year, make an impact for the team. We’re confident both those guys can do that.”

While Pederson finished his thought by saying “the pieces are there” for the Jaguars to be better at rushing the passer in 2023, it also seems likely that the team will hunt for fresh talent as well. The team lost Arden Key in free agency to the Tennessee Titans and Dawuane Smoot is currently on the market as well.

An improved version of Walker would go a long way toward giving the Jaguars a boost, but there are also plenty of draft prospects and experienced free agents who could fill out the rotation.

Jacksonville finished the 2022 season with a league-leading 77 quarterback knockdowns, but was 26th in sacks with 35. Opponents converted 43.2 percent of third downs against the Jaguars defense, the fourth highest rate in the NFL.

Those pass rushing issues haunted the Jaguars in the playoffs where they failed to record a single sack against the Kansas City Chiefs in a Divisional Round loss.