Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 offseason needs in 2019
By Conor Myles
4. David Irving, DT
Jacksonville’s defensive tackle group is poised to look incredibly different in 2019. Malik Jackson carries a 15 million dollar cap hit after being signed during the 2016 offseason. That figure puts him as a potential cap casualty after coming off the bench to end his season. Jackson already admitted he doesn’t see much of a future with the Jaguars much longer, so it’s safe to assume his release may be one of the first moves the team makes creating cap space to improve the negative 3.9 million they possess.
The Jaguars may also decide to move on from Marcell Dareus and his 10.5 million dollar cap hit as well. These moves not only free up $21.5 million in cap space but paves the way for the team to retool a pass rush that tallied just 37 sacks in 2018 after recording 55 a season before. Insert an interior pass rush specialist like David Irving would be the first step in doing so.
Irving would come in at a bargain rate when taking in injuries and suspensions into consideration on the open market. The defensive tackle will be only 26-years-old entering the 2019 season, which is why this move offers a chance of being low-risk, high-reward signing.
Irving’s ability to rush the passer from the interior is severely downplayed due to the various injuries he’s suffered to go along with a couple of suspensions. Still, the massive defensive tackle has been able to showcase his ability by racking up 14 sacks on 772 pass rush snaps during his four-year career (including postseason), according to Pro Football Focus. That type is the type of production that Jacksonville needs and the low rate Irving may go for helps the Jaguars allocate the rest of their resources on other needs.