A smile grew across Josh Hines-Allen’s face with each word he spoke. He couldn’t hide the excitement, nor did he want to. Asked about the growth of pass-rushing partner Travon Walker , he lit up.
“That’s the expectation that we have for each other," Hines-Allen said last week. "To push each other and to get [to the backfield] first. He know what type of time I'm on. I know what type of time he on.”
Hines-Allen and Walker led the league in sacks with a combined 27.5, logging 17.5 and 10, respectively. They’ve both set their aim for a higher achievement this year, though.
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They’re hoping to lead Jacksonville to wins, which eluded the team late last season as they slid from the top of the AFC to missing the postseason.
“We just have to be consistent now,” Walker said. “We have to learn from the losses we had at the end of the year. Use them as lessons and build off of them.”
Walker's growth this offseason is noticeable, he points to comfortability
Walker earned high praise from new teammate Arik Armstead this offseason. The 10th-year veteran said he sees top-end talent in Walker, and he believes he has the potential to be the best edge rusher in the NFL .
With new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen — a coach known for getting the most out of his players — Walker is projected to have his best season as a professional.
When asked about the area he grew the most this offseason, he pointed to his comfortability.
“Playing faster, that’s the number one thing for me,” he said. “Just going out there on the field, playing faster and playing comfortable.”
That’s something Hines-Allen noticed about Walker this preseason. It’s normal to see Walker in the backfield and disrupting plays.
It's because he's just working his game plan and trusting the results of his work.
“Another thing Travon is improving in his game is understanding what the other people are doing, and that it doesn't matter,” Hines-Allen said. “Because when he executes what his plan is throughout the game, it doesn't matter what they give him. He's going to work his craft and he's going to be successful at the end of the day.”
Hines-Allen, Walker leading the charge to 'attacking' defense
Nielsen’s theme for the defense this season is “attack.”
He wants the team to treat each day as if it’s a game day and be prepared in every facet of the game. Whether it’s meetings, recovery or practice, players should be attacking everything.
Two players who’ve led that charge are Hines-Allen and Walker.
“The thing about them that makes them the next level, and the next step, is they practice every day,” Nielsen said during preseason. “There’s not a day off. They come out there, they're working every day to get better. That's what you appreciate as a coach.”
Both players know they can be successful pass rushers but first, they have to stop the run. Hines-Allen and Walker have embraced that part of their game and understand the value to the entire team if they can win in the trenches.
“In order for us to do what we really want to do — as people would say, ‘go have fun, rush the passer,’ we have to stop the run first,” Walker said. “That’s what we’re building our defense off of. That standard of winning up front.”
Hines-Allen not concerned with Jaguars' all-time sack record as season starts
Hines-Allen enters the season 10 sacks away from etching his name into history. Anything more than 10, and he'll be in sole possession of the franchise record.
He talked at length about it when he signed his contract extension this offseason. He wants to not only break the record but also wants to push it as far as he can.
But as the season is set to start on Sunday, he finds himself not too concerned with it.
“I don't really think about it as much. I think it's a goal that if I do what I do, and do it the right way, it's going to happen eventually,” he said. “I don't have a cap or a limit to how many sacks I get.”
He’s only recorded double-digit sacks twice in his career, as a rookie and last year. But with the form he’s in, and the progression of Walker, history is calling for him sooner than later.
“I know it's gonna come," he said. “If I could just stay focused and stay locked in, eventually, the record will be mine.”
Hines-Allen understands that the Jaguars defensive line won't just be anointed because they take the field on Sunday. It doesn't matter how many sacks Hines-Allen and Walker got a season ago, or what Armstead brings to the table.
They have to earn it.
“To earn respect, you got to take it. At the end of day, we can talk about what we have, who we have. It don't really matter," Hines-Allen said. "We got to go out here and let our pads do all the talking and play physical each play. If we can do that, then everybody will know what type of time we on.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker ready to repeat 2023 success
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