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Jaguars DL Josh Allen excited to partner with Arik Armstead, declares himself a 'bad boy'
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- Jaguars DL Josh Allen excited to partner with Arik Armstead, declares himself a 'bad boy'
There's no question that Josh Allen is excited to work with defensive lineman Arik Armstead .
Allen made that clear after the first day of mandatory minicamp for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday and provided a pseudo-scouting report on one of his newest teammates.
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"Great dude. All the characteristics that you want in a player, as a teammate, as a friend, as a leader, he has all of them. He has the structure, so it's like, 'he's a guy,' and then when you have the conversation with him, he has the intellect and then, when you see the film, he has the film. So, he has everything that you really want and need in a defensive tackle," Allen said.
More teaching: Jaguars HC Doug Pederson has been impressed by rookie class, talks Day 1 of minicamp
Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen (41) cuts in front of defensive end Tyler Lacy (93) during drills in Monday's minicamp.
Armstead, 6-foot-7, 290 pounds, is one of the team's prized free-agent signings this offseason, inking a three-year $43.5 million contract with the team. As a member of the San Francisco 49ers for nine seasons since being drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Armstead quickly became one of the best defensive linemen in the league.
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In 116 games played, Armstead has accounted for 302 total tackles, 88 quarterback hits, 43 tackles for loss and 33.5 sacks. What he adds to the team's defense is a versatile player capable of playing all four spots, while also providing plenty of pass-rush ability to complement both Allen and third-year DL Travon Walker .
Allen is excited to see what he can do with Armstead playing by his side this year. Essentially, he's going to play the role that Nick Bosa has held for several years in San Francisco , except, it's Josh.
"He played with Nick [Bosa], so he's played with guys that played at a very high level. I want to show him that, I ain't no Nick, but I'm Josh and this a bad boy right here and I play the game my way," Allen said with a smile. Bosa has been one of the league's top defensive players, accounting for 53.5 sacks since entering the league in 2019, the same year as Allen.
"I want him to see that, and I want him to know that when we get to the Super Bowl, we're gonna win it. That was my goal for me... if we get there, we're going all the way. And I told him I'm gonna win MVP too," he added.
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Allen and Armstead's chemistry will continue to grow over the coming weeks and months in preparation for this season. Armstead has so far been sidelined due to a knee injury that required surgery after this past season. He should be ready to roll for training camp, according to Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Josh Allen talks Arik Armstead, winning a Super Bowl
