‘One-on-one game’: Jaguars’ Ryan Nielsen on Josh Allen, matchups
Of Josh Allen’s 869 snaps along the Jaguars’ defensive front in 2023, 797 (91.7%, per Pro Football Focus) were logged on the right side of the line, against the left side of the opposing offensive line.
While Allen reached a single-season career-high 17.5 sacks last season and, as a result, received the biggest contract extension in Jaguars’ history in April, his positional snap-split should be expected to change moving forward.
New Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said as much Monday, discussing the versatility his scheme will demand of players with reporters before Jacksonville’s first offseason team activity (OTA).
“We don’t want [Allen] just to be on the right side and they know he’s right here all the time and they can chip or put a tight end to his side and take what he does away,” Nielsen explained when asked about Allen’s deployment.
“Then we’ve got to beat two guys to get to the quarterback. So if we move him, it makes him a little bit harder for an offense to find out and identify where he’s at every snap.”
Nielsen’s comment about Allen represents his big-picture approach to coordinating Jacksonville’s defense.
The 45-year-old, first-year Jaguars play-caller spoke about the importance of avoiding placing players in “pigeonholes,” instead allowing them to test multiple positions within his defensive scheme throughout the offseason, specifically during OTAs.
The thought process applies across the board, whether that’s edge rushers flipping sides or sliding into the interior defensive line; off-ball linebackers rotating between the middle, weak-side and strong-side spots; or defensive backs aligning at nickel corner in addition to cornerback or safety duties.
“We’re going to put them at these different positions in OTAs because it’s a great opportunity to see what guys can do,” Nielsen said. “Then as we see their job and if they can do certain jobs [and] then we’ll start to fine-tune a package more for their skill set.”
This isn’t a new practice for the rising second-season NFL defensive coordinator. Nielsen followed the same philosophy throughout his pro-play-calling debut campaign with Atlanta in 2023.
Of the Falcons’ 11 most-frequently deployed defenders under Nielsen last year, four spent at least 25% of their defensive snaps away from what could be considered their primary position, per PFF: Defensive tackle David Onyemata, inside linebacker Kaden Elliss, and safeties Jessie Bates III and Richie Grant.
Accounting for field-side (snaps at left vs. right inside linebacker, for example), all 11 defenders would qualify.
The Jaguars retooled their defense this offseason in addition to their change at coordinator.
The club allowed several starters and key contributors to leave via free agency or release before adding veterans in defensive lineman Arik Armstead, Ronald Darby and Darnell Savage to the unit in March.
Draft prospects, defensive linemen Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson, cornerbacks Jarrian Jones and Deantre Prince, and EDGE Myles Cole, followed in April.
Paired with Allen, former first overall EDGE Travon Walker, linebacker and two-time NFL leading tackler Foyesade Oluokun, and vested starting defensive backs Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco, among others, these players will occupy various roles in the months to come as Nielsen determines optimal personnel packages for the Jaguars’ defense.
“It’s a matchup game, right?” Nielsen pondered. “We want to have the best matchups for our guys to have success. So, we’ll manipulate the front, covers, and things that we’re doing to put our guys in the best matchups for them and then ultimately play our best defense and win games.
“Football, a lot of it is a one-on-one game.”
