Part II of comparing the worst teams in the AFC South.
Part Two of this roster comparison between the Jaguars and Texans has the Texans hoping for a better outcome on the defensive side of the ball. Today, we turn our attention to the defenses. Both team are filled with equal amounts of promising young talent and non-renown veterans. They have rookies in starting roles and no-name new-name veterans set for meaningful playing time.
Note this comparison is a bit difficult to break down by position as the Texans run a 4-3 and Jags run a 3-4. so don’t overly fret if a player is a bit out of position.
Defensive Ends: Jonathan Greenard/Mario Addison vs. Travon Walker/ Roy Robertson-Harris
Greenard’s breakout season last year was impressive but doesn’t compare to what Travon can do. The first overall pick in this year’s draft will immediately be an impact player on the line of scrimmage and bolster the Jags young defense. Both teams added veteran talent who will be starters in Mario Addison and Roy Robertson-Harris. Jaguars also have Dawuane Smoot whom has slowly developed into a strong rotational defensive lineman.
Bottom Barrel: Texans
Defensive Tackles/Nose Guards: Maliek Collins/Roy Lopez/Ross Blacklock vs. Malcom Brown/DaVon Hamilton/Foley Fatukasi
Texans possess a handful of young prospects that will rotate evenly throughout the season. Roy Lopez can emerge as a two-gap NT, but the Texans resigned Maliek for a reason… and that being they don’t know who to trust. Even so, the Jags interior defensive line isn’t impressive. Malcom Brown is past his prime but still the clear best player in this group. The Jags didn’t draft any talent here either, which they’ll regret immediately. The Texans youth and potential combat the veterans the Jags can deploy.
Bottom Barrel: Jaguars
Linebackers: Christian Kirksey/Kamu Grugier-Hill/Christian Harris vs. Josh Allen/Devin Lloyd/Foye Olukun
Though Trevon Walker is considered an OLB, he’ll play on the line of scrimmage more than be a true LB. Devin Lloyd was a personal favorite in the draft process this year and will be on their defense for the next decade. So too will Josh Allen, who racked up 7.5 sacks last year but still hasn’t dominated similar to his rookie season. The Texans keep this group relatively consistent, but add Christian Harris as a rotational piece. Unless KGH has another standout season as the nickel LB, the Texans are currently and will be outclassed in this position group.
Bottom Barrel: Texans
Cornerbacks: Derek Stingley Jr./Jalen Pitre/Steven Nelson vs. Shaq Griffin/Tyson Campbell/Tre Herndon
Don’t be fooled, Pitre is a slot corner first and foremost. Hell, he’s more of a linebacker than a safety. Two young, promising rookies fortify this position group for the Texans, but there’s too many question marks surrounding their play to supplant the Jags roster. Shaq Griffin can be a dominant presence at corner and Tyson Campbell had an all around solid rookie season after being a second round pick out of Georgia. Steven Nelson’s addition to the Texans makes this close, but the Jaguars have more certain talent than the Texans.
Bottom Barrel: Texans
Safeties: Eric Murray/Terrence Brooks vs. Andre Wingard/Rayshawn Jenkins
Safety has not been well addressed by either team. All four players here were free agent signings and would not possess a starting role for most any other team. The Texans safeties are deeper and the overall secondary has more turnover capabilities than the Jags have demonstrated, which may not be reflected immediately in this review. This is truly a push too, but I expect the Texans secondary unit as a whole to play better than teams expect.
Bottom Barrel: Jaguars
That’s a 3-2 unfortunate win for the Texans on defense. Both teams have years of work to do before their defenses can be considered formidable. Neither has any remarkable or Pro-Bowl talent, but the early picks this year on defense will have a significant impact on their team’s play as a whole in the next season.
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