Jaguars' Josh Hines-Allen ranked among best edge defenders in 2025
· Yahoo Sports
Josh Hines-Allen didn't start off the 2025 season at his best, but the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end quickly proved that he belongs among the NFL's elite.
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Hines-Allen began the year looking like he might end as a disappointment, but he surged later in the season to be a formidable threat.
Hines-Allen finished the regular season ranked second in quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, behind only Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson. Including the AFC wildcard game against Buffalo, Hines-Allen hit the 100 pressure mark.
He's been getting plenty of notice from analysts ever since, with PFF ranking him eighth in pass-rush win rate metric and 14th in pass-rush productivity. And he's been named in the top 10 for edge defenders in the league.
"Hines-Allen was one of four players (Anderson, Hutchinson, Verse) to hit the century mark in total pressures for the season (including the playoffs)," Ryan Smith wrote for PFF. "It was the fourth straight season that he finished the year among the top 15 edge defenders in PFF overall grade."
2024 had been a rough season for Hines-Allen, but it wasn't entirely his fault. Under Ryan Nielsen's leadership, the Jaguars' defense floundered, with multiple defenders — including Hines-Allen — putting on weight; this then made them less effective. Hines-Allen said his weight ultimately reached 285 pounds, and it slowed him down.
"My mindset was always to be as dominant. But it was a little, obviously, holding a little bit more weight puts a little bit more wear and tear on the body," he said in a press conference last summer, adding, "And it was a lot too much. Again, learn to adapt, gotta know what works best for you, something I tried and something I'm like, Alright, I probably don't want to do that again. So we're working on maintaining a good goal for me this year, and put some good tape out there."
Ultimately, the Jaguars fired Nielsen and brought in Anthony Campanile, who turned Jacksonville's struggling defense into a unit for the league to fear. For Hines-Allen specifically, he is now listed at 255 pounds, and ultimately flourished under Campanile's new scheme.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars EDGE Josh Hines-Allen ranked No. 6 among position group