Danny Striggow offering Jaguars quality pass-rush depth

The Jaguars’ pass-rush has undoubtedly struggled this season, especially with the injury to Travon Walker. The pressures are still very much there for Josh Hines-Allen and Arik Armstead has seen a return to form, but outside of that, it hasn’t been pretty.

James Gladstone made a concerted effort to bring in some quality edge help this season with the additions of Dawuane Smoot and Emmanuel Ogbah, however, it hasn’t really paid off as the duo just has 1.5 sacks through 11 games of the season.

The Jaguars made a shocking statement against the Los Angeles Chargers, deciding to healthy scratch Ogbah in favor of Danny Striggow and BJ Green II. So far, the decision to get the young guys on the field has paid off.

The Jaguars and fans alike were pleasantly surprised with the play of Striggow and BJ Green in the preseason. The duo finished first and second on the team in preseason pressures and Green II ranked at the top of the league in preseason pass-rush win % at 23.7%. The Jaguars were impressed and found a way to keep both on the roster.

Fast forward to Week 13 and how grateful they are in their decision. Danny Striggow has really come along as a pass-rusher and Green II has shown flashes as well.

Though admittedly a small sample size, Striggow’s numbers are impressive and certainly an improvement thus far over Smoot and Ogbah. Striggow already has six pressures compared to the season-long pressures of Ogbah (14) and Smoot (10).

To provide some context, Striggow sits at a 15.4% pressure rate, nearly double that of Emmanuel Ogbah (8.5%) and nearly triple Dawuane Smoot (5.5%). He’s getting home too, collecting a half-sack alongside Travon Walker against the Chargers. BJ Green II sadly had one stripped away from him against the Chargers as well.

According to Pro Football Focus, Striggow’s 11.1% pass-rush win rate ranks very similarly to that of Travon Walker and far above those of Smoot (6.4%) and Ogbah (4.0%), who rank 112th and 118th respectively, among the Top-121 edge players.

For a defense that has been hampered by the lack of a pass-rush and their depth, Striggow has been electric for the Jags. In the last two weeks of play, he’s helped the Jaguars total nine sacks and 21 QB hits. Both games featured pressure rates over 40% as well.

With this revival, defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile might not feel as handcuffed to blitz in order to find success with the pass-rush. It opens up a lot from a play-calling perspective and has been huge for the Jaguars in the last two weeks, allowing a combined 23 points defensively across the last two games.

When Travon Walker returns, watch out. This defense and its pass-rush, including one Danny Striggow, looks to be getting hot at just the right time.

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