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Jaguars officially sign former San Francisco 49ers DL Arik Armstead to 3 year, $51 million deal
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- Jaguars officially sign former San Francisco 49ers DL Arik Armstead to 3 year, $51 million deal
A big man is headed to Jacksonville .
The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially signed former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead , the team announced Friday. Armstead inks a three-year deal worth $51 million, according to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz. More details of Armstead's contract will surface later.
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He was released by the 49ers on Wednesday after the new league year began.
Armstead originally was drafted by the 49ers with the No. 17 pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke's second-to-last season as the 49ers' general manager.
Listed at 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds, Armstead becomes the kingpin of the Jaguars' free agency class, which includes wide receiver Gabe Davis , cornerback Ronald Darby , safety Darnell Savage and return specialist/receiver Devin Duvernay .
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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 14: Arik Armstead #91 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after sacking Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at Levi's Stadium on January 14, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Armstead, 30, has spent all nine years of his NFL career with San Francisco. He has accounted for 302 total tackles (177 solos), 33.5 sacks, 43 tackles for loss and 88 quarterback hits.
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In 2023, Armstead accounted for five sacks and 27 total tackles through 12 games played.
Throughout his career, Armstead has started 97 times in the 116 games in which he has played. His best statistical season came in 2020 when he amassed 10.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and 54 tackles while playing in all 16 games.
Jaguars bolster defensive line, give DC Ryan Nielsen a prize
Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson (25) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) and defensive end Arik Armstead (91) during the second quarter at TIAA Bank Field Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the San Francisco 49ers during a regular season NFL game. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
For the Jaguars, Armstead will likely immediately enter as one of the starting defensive linemen alongside both defensive linemen DaVon Hamilton and Roy Robertson-Harris and outside linebackers Josh Allen and Travon Walker .
While it is unclear who will be headed to the bench, Armstead projects as a similar player and role to Robertson-Harris, who could be relegated to a rotational role with the team moving forward after being signed to a contract extension and made a captain last year.
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Regardless of the shuffling, the Jaguars are bringing a chess piece type of player to the team's defensive line for new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
Though they aren't the same player, Armstead projects similarly to former Jaguars DL Calais Campbell , who was with Nielsen in Atlanta with the Falcons last year. Or, in a way, he compares to New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Cameron Jordan , who was with Nielsen while the coach was in New Orleans as a defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator.
Setting talent on the field aside, both players were nominated by their respective teams for the Walker Payton Man of the Year, too. Campbell won it in 2019. Armstead was the 49ers' nominee for four straight seasons (2020-23).
However, Armstead will fit into exactly what the team is looking for, while giving Nielsen an example for younger players to follow.
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Here's how Jordan described his former DL coach: "Top tier DL coach in terms of developing pass rush and emphasizing technique on run game integrity."
Armstead's strength in both the run and pass game will give Jacksonville some breathing room on defense. Last year, the team totaled 40 sacks with 27.5 sacks coming between Allen and Walker, another 3.5 by Robertson-Harris and a few scattered between the rest of the team's players. Jacksonville's run defense faltered, too, allowing 146.8 yards during the team's five-loss collapse at the end of the season.
With Armstead in, expect both of those numbers to improve. According to Pro Football Focus, Armstead has never posted a run defense grade below 52.7 (2023) and has several seasons in the high-positive range (86.4, 2019). He's ranked as the 18th-best defensive lineman last year behind Tampa Bay DL Vita Vea .
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According to the NFL's NextGenStats, Armstead had the third-most pressures (33) in the NFL when aligned as the left interior defensive lineman with the 49ers last season. Roy Robertson-Harris was the lone Jaguars DT to generate more than 15 pressures last season (45).
Now he will get an opportunity to give Jacksonville some stability, something they've yearned for years since Campbell was traded.
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: Arik Armstead officially signs with Jaguars on three-year deal
