‘Not elite but' - Jaguars EDGE Josh Hines-Allen receives a backhanded compliment, and it should serve as motivation for him in 2026
· Yahoo Sports
The Jags’ star defender got some praise from one NFL scout, but it also serves as bulletin board material for this fall.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the better starting edge rushing duos in the NFL in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.
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The Jags got good production overall from their 2019 first round pick last year. Hines-Allen was a constant, steady force off the edge. Despite just 8.0 sacks, he totaled 100 QB pressures in 592 pass rushing snaps according to Pro Football Focus, good for a very healthy 16.9% pressure rate. That also earned an 87.3 Pro Football Focus overall defensive grade last season, second best for Jacksonville’s defense.
That type of production was enough to get some recognition from NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, who were polled by ESPN to determine the NFL’s top 10 edge rushers. Hines-Allen finished just outside the list, earning an honorable mention.
But it was two words by an NFC scout that should have his attention going into 2026.
Josh Hines-Allen named honorable mention on ESPN list of NFL’s top 10 edge rushers
“Not elite but consistently very good, with a quality power-rush game,” ESPN quoted a scout as saying.
Not elite. Hines-Allen hasn’t been elite recently when it comes the position’s most important stat: sacks. His 8.0 sacks last year are less than half of what he posted during his elite 2023 season, when he posted a career-high 17.5. That got him paid in a big way in April 2024, with the sides agreeing to a five-year, $150 million contract extension.
But those two words should be etched on the inside of his locker and helmet going into 2026. Hines-Allen has been adept at being around the quarterback and handling his duties in the run game. And that gets him a fair reputation of being a very good player.
But to be among the best, he’ll need to find a way to get the quarterback on the ground more often than he has the last two seasons, when he totaled back-to-back eight sack years.
And if he can do that this fall, he should find himself among the best on the list next year.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: ‘Not elite but' - Jaguars EDGE Josh Hines-Allen receives a backhanded compliment, and it should serve as motivation for him in 2026
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