Former NFL star Jevon Kearse dishes on harmful nature of today's NFL rules

Jevon Kearse dominated the NFL for over a decade. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and made his first Pro Bowl appearance in his debut season for the Tennessee Titans in 1999. He would spend seven total years with the Titans, beginning and ending his career in Nashville. In between, he spent four years with the Philadelphia Eagles.

By the end, Kearse accumulated three Pro Bowl appearances and one All-Pro nomination. He was one of the best defensive ends of the early-2000s. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, he came to be affectionately known as 'The Freak.' Before there was Giannis, there was Kearse.

He made a career of punishing quarterbacks in the pocket. Kearse pulled off 74 sacks and 336 tackles across 11 NFL seasons. It was a different time, of course — one where there was less negative downside to chasing the QB at full speed.

In an exclusive interview with FanSided and 'Stacking the Box,' Kearse explained his perspective on the NFL's new rules protecting quarterbacks in the pocket.

Kearse joined FanSided representing Johnsonville.

Jevon Kearse explains difficulty of new NFL rules on defensive players

"It's very difficult," said Kearse. "[My former teammate William Hayes] hurt his knee, ACL or MCL, because he was going after a quarterback and taking him down, and he was trying not to fall on top of him. Afterward, that same season... a bunch of injuries were happening to guys."

Hayes tore his ACL in 2018 when he tried to avoid placing weight on the QB after a sack. As the NFL rulebook states, per ESPN, a defender is "responsible for avoiding landing on the quarterback when taking him to the ground."

Obviously, the league initiated these rules with the express purpose of avoiding injuries — primarily to quarterbacks, who are the league's primary moneymakers. It's interesting to hear the perspective of a defensive player, arguing that such rules actually increase injury risk for those on the opposite side of the ball.

"You have some situations where things look intentional," Kearse said. "But you also have other situations where someone is reacting and playing the game. I think each situation should be looked at separately."

That feels like the right general philosophy. Rather than a blanket rule protecting the QB, league officials should be able to more precisely judge intent before rendering a ruling, especially on plays where reviews are allowed.

"It's just a bunch of rule changes," Kearse concludes. "They try to protect the offense, and let the offense score points — offense, offense, offense — but to my defensive guys out there, keep doing your thing, man. Keep playing full tilt, keep reacting how you react, and don't get in trouble."

Words of wisdom from one of the best in the business. NFL defenders would be wise to heed Kearse's advice.