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Josh Hines-Allen's play shows it's a matter of time before he breaks Jaguars sack record
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- Josh Hines-Allen's play shows it's a matter of time before he breaks Jaguars sack record
The entrance's label says, "LOCKER ROOM," but in reality, it is Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen 's office.
He knows just about everybody and will visit with just about anybody, like a conscious CEO who makes the rounds.
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This was the scene after practice last Thursday: Hines-Allen's two-cubicle setup is next to the equipment room entrance, a high-traffic area of teammates and support personnel. Directly across from him is the offensive line. Down the row are his fellow defensive linemen. And on the other side of the room, the linebackers.
Hines-Allen took a stroll. He talked with back-up offensive linemen Cole Van Lanen and Chuma Edoga . He chatted with defensive linemen DaVon Hamilton and Emmanuel Ogbah . On another recent day, he checked in with the linebackers and rookie edge rushers B.J. Green or Danny Striggow .
Unintentional and random? Perhaps. Purposeful? Absolutely.
"He includes everybody in everything and makes it feel like a family," Striggow said. "He's fun to be around."
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Watching Hines-Allen has been fun for the Jaguars during their surprising 3-1 start , but not fun for opposing offenses tasked with blocking him.
Entering Monday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs , Allen may have just a half-sack this year, but that one statistic doesn't even come close to telling the story of his season. The Jaguars have 13 takeaways (most in the NFL) and rank fourth in stopping the run (82.8 yards per game). Allen has played a big part in all of that.
According to my game charting, Allen has 19 1/2 pass-rush disruptions — .5 sacks, 5 1/2 knockdowns and 13 1/2 pressures. He is beating right tackles, dusting left tackles and toying with backs and tight ends who are asked to help block him. He has been a regular force.
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"Really excited about the way Josh is playing," Jaguars defensive line coach Matt Edwards said. "First and foremost, his effort, his preparation, the way he attacks practice — he's a true pro. What he does during the week to prepare for the game has manifested itself into some really positive things for our entire defense."
Nearing club sack record
This upstart group of Jaguars — returning players mixed with veteran acquisitions and draft picks — gets the primetime stage against Kansas City . This is old hat for the Chiefs, who live in the 4:25 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and holiday television windows. This will be it for the Jaguars in primetime this year save for a late-season schedule flex.
The Jaguars' struggles have meant Hines-Allen has played away from the spotlight. He did help clinch the 2022 division title with a fumble return touchdown in the win over Tennessee .
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Playing the Chiefs is the perfect setting for the Jaguars to continue making a statement: These aren't the same, old Jaguars. It would also be the ideal time for Hines-Allen to break the Jaguars' all-time sack record.
Hines-Allen has 53 1/2 sacks, just behind Tony Brackens (55) and look for him to challenge multiple Chiefs offensive linemen. Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile has moved Hines-Allen from left and right end and even dropped him into zone coverage.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) tackles Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10.
"He's just the perfect build for a defensive end," Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters this week of Hines-Allen (6-foot-5, 255 pounds). "Fast, tall, he has a great variety of pass-rush moves. He's kind of in that perfect moment where he's a veteran and knows the veteran stuff but has the athletic ability to make stuff happen as well."
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When coaches join a new team, they want to know who they can count on. Which players will set the example for their peers? Which players will buy into the new staff's approach and culture? Hines-Allen was all in.
"Everything I've seen from Josh has been team-first, which is what we want to preach here," said Edwards, who was the Buffalo Bills ' assistant defensive line coach last year. "Certainly, he has individual goals, but what he wants to do is help the defensive unit and team achieve success. When he does his job, he will help the team have overall success and the individual success will come off of that."
Setting example
Per the Times-Union's charting, Hines-Allen's game-by-game totals are: Five disruptions against Carolina (one knockdown, four pressures), 4 1/2 at Cincinnati (three knockdowns, 1 1/2 pressures), 5 1/2 against Houston (half-sack, 1 1/2 knockdowns, 3 1/2 pressures) and 4 1/2 at San Francisco (all pressures).
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"You watch the film and Josh is playing at an elite level," Ogbah said. "I know the sack numbers aren't there but he's effecting the quarterback in every game."
Hines-Allen's pressure of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud led to a game-clinching deflected pass that was intercepted by safety Antonio Johnson .
"He's playing with an edge," Jaguars coach Liam Coen said of Hines-Allen. "I'm just very happy with Josh right now and it's only going this way (Coen made a upward trajectory sign with his hand)."
The preparation for those impact plays starts early in the week.
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"Josh is a good leader in the room and he speaks his mind and has a lot of experience to fall back on," Edwards said. "One of the biggest things about being a leader, he wants to help everybody. If he sees something, he'll talk about it and then he sets the example with the way he does drills. He's an easy guy to follow."
Hines-Allen sets the example by showing up to the Jaguars' facility early, answering questions for young players in the meeting room and going through practice drills like he needs to prove his starting spot.
"He's extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the right way to practice and prepare for the game and you can really ask him anything you want to know and in the football space, he has the answer," Striggow said.
Said Ogbah: "Josh is a team player. We're all brothers in here and we play as one and he's always going to pick somebody up when they're down or push somebody when they need to be pushed."
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Relayed my opinion that he is well respected and maybe even revered by teammates, Hines-Allen paused.
"I just play with a passion," he said. "What they get, what they receive (from that) … that (praise) means a lot."
O'Halloran can be reached at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Josh Hines-Allen two sacks from setting career team record
