What's the biggest question for Jacksonville's defense? Do they have the depth to hold up

The Jacksonville Jaguars return 11 defensive starters from their AFC South Championship roster last season.

But still, a major question remains as they enter the regular season: Will their overall depth on defense be good enough to hold up throughout the regular season and a potential post season run?

Roster Updates: Jaguars make slew of roster moves, place DL DaVon Hamilton on injured reserve

Jacksonville's defense helped the team reel off six consecutive wins late last season, including the final five of the regular season and a playoff game. But still, they may not have the depth that’s needed to survive a full season.

Already before entering Week 1, they’re without defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton who’s on injury reserve with an unspecified back injury. They were without Tyson Campbell for a stint in training camp after he suffered a concussion.

And defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi is working his way back from a foot injury sustained during the final stretch of training camp.

Why does depth matter if you returned starters?

As previously stated, Jacksonville brought back all 11 of their starters from their AFC Divisional Round playoff game.

That's 11 players who went through one of the most unexpected comebacks in NFL history. That's 11 players who grinded for the opportunity to win the division crown.

And 11 players who are just as hungry for more success as they enter the storm towards Week 1 against Indianapolis.

But along the way, the defensive lineup was tweaked, a lot.

Take Darious Williams for example. He began the year as the starting nickel corner before an injury to Shaq Griffin opened the door for him to move to his natural position of outside cornerback.

And when Travon Walker dealt with an injury and was forced to miss time late in the season, Arden Key stepped in and made it a seamless transition. Key is now with the Tennessee Titans.

When Devin Lloyd was benched last season, in stepped Chad Muma. And when Muma was hurt, Lloyd was there to take back his role.

The depth played a big part in the success of Jacksonville and helped them continue throughout the season without worry of who'd step up.

Can they get enough pressure on the quarterback with current roster?

The Jaguars recorded 35 sacks last season.

Josh Allen had a team-best seven sacks, followed by five from Dawuane Smoot, who is still working his way back from a season-ending Achilles tear and is on the team's Physically Unable to Perform list, 4.5 from Key, who is no longer with the team, and 3.5 from Walker as a rookie.

The thought in the building is those numbers will improve in Mike Caldwell’s second season as defensive coordinator.

They have faith in K’Lavon Chaisson, their 2020 first-round draft pick, to improve his production this season and feel highly about their 2023 fifth-round selection Yasir Abdullah.

Both players flashed in the preseason: Abdullah recording an interception and sack while Chaisson helped force a sack against Detroit.

They’re also expecting to yield better results from the interior of the defensive line.

Prior to his injury, Hamilton was having a standout training camp, routinely finding himself in the backfield. The toll will fall on the shoulders of Roy Robertson-Harris, Jeremiah Ledbetter and Adam Gotsis as Hamilton and Fatukasi work their way back from their injuries.

Ledbetter made a name for himself versus Detroit, forcing a fumble and recording a sack against the backups of the Lions. Gotsis is a trusted veteran and core special teams player. Robertson-Harris’ three sacks were the most from interior defensive linemen on the team in 2022.

And if that’s not enough, they’ll feature blitz packages with linebackers Devin Lloyd and Foye Oluokun to add pressure on opposing offenses.

Youth movement: Jaguars’ electing to develop homegrown talent

Jacksonville could’ve easily brought in a veteran player for defensive depth on their 53-man roster. Trent Baalke and his staff always have an eye on the market to match what’s available against their needs.

But the team chose to develop players drafted in recent years rather than bringing in veterans who’d eat large contracts for short-term work.

“If you're not willing to draft these guys, bring them onto your roster, and coach them up and get them ready, or if you continue to go out and sign an older player to your roster, how do these guys get better,” head coach Doug Pederson said Thursday when asked about the depth of Jacksonville’s defense.

The best example of this can be seen in Gregory Junior, Montaric Brown and Christian Braswell. They’re the immediate backups should someone go down in the secondary.

Between them? Only nine games of NFL experience.

Brown and Junior were late-round draft picks last year and Braswell was a late-round selection this season. They showed enough to Pederson to secure spots on the 53-man roster.

The same idea can be used with Abdullah and rookie lineman Tyler Lacy as well. Both players will more than likely see time throughout the year out of necessity.

And same goes for last year's rookie class of Walker, Lloyd and Muma, with expectations being raised now that they've had a full season and offseason to work in the league.

The coaching staff has trusted in their development and feel comfortable with the rookies and younger players earning their spots on the 53-man roster.

“I think sometimes we're too fast to bring in the next guy and it's something Trent and I are on the same page with,” Pederson continued. “We've got to continue to develop our guys and give them an opportunity to grow because one day they're probably going to be starters for us.”

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars regular season preview: Is defensive depth an issue?