Seeking Sacksonville: Jaguars need more impactful pass rush to take next step in 2023

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars reached a critical juncture in their development last season, as the young, inexperienced team blossomed into an AFC South champion and logged an extraordinary playoff win. But the next step in that journey toward becoming a true championship contender will prove even tougher. It will demand sharper focus, increased maturation and more improvement in areas that have been lacking. One specific priority: The Jags' defensive front must do a better job disrupting opposing quarterbacks.

No team in the NFL made a greater leap last season than Jacksonville, which went from winning just three games in 2021 to producing a 9-8 record. The Jaguars were able to do that because new head coach Doug Pederson provided stability after the Urban Meyer debacle, quarterback Trevor Lawrence grew up in his second season and the entire team displayed tremendous resilience in rebounding from a 3-7 start. The Jags might have been even more impressive if their pass rush had been more daunting. Their defense was solid at limiting points -- ranking 12th in the NFL in scoring D -- but underwhelming when it came to generating sacks. Jacksonville's 35 quarterback takedowns tied for 25th. Kind of ironic, considering the franchise's most recent playoff team prior to last season -- the 2017 Jaguars -- finished second in the league with 55 sacks, giving birth to the defense's "Sacksonville" nickname.

Talent -- or a lack thereof -- wasn't the culprit in Jacksonville's low sack production in 2022. Rather, the Jaguars just failed to consistently finish the job. Addressing that shortcoming has been a major theme in this year's training camp.

"We just want steady improvement," second-year defensive coordinator Mike