Jaguars defense 2025 preview: Hines-Allen leads focused effort while Travis Hunter looms

When the Jacksonville Jaguars suit up on Sept. 7 to face the Carolina Panthers, they'll do so with renewed energy.

The franchise is undergoing a full makeover, which includes EverBank Stadium with the Stadium of the Future planned to open ahead of the 2028 season.

With the team now led by head coach Liam Coen, general manager James Gladstone and EVP Tony Boselli, the Jaguars have hit the reset button for just the second time in owner Shad Khan's roughly 14-year ownership of the franchise.

The 2025 season is one of no half-measures for Jacksonville. That much has remained consistent ever since Gladstone was introduced as the team's next GM, and it was Gladstone who carried the mantle.

Gladestone's first major move as general manager was a bold one. The team traded up from the fifth-overall pick to second overall to select unicorn prospect, cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter.

The deal cost the team a first-round pick in 2026, but it welcomed in a player whom the team believes can play on both sides of the ball on a full-time basis.

If so, Hunter will become the first player in the modern era to do it.

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Hunter's presence on offense will be what everyone gets excited about; his presence as a fan-favorite will get him brownie points and love, but his presence on defense could be what makes him a future All-Pro player.

With Hunter installed, a change in defensive coordinator and a motivated defensive end, the Jaguars could skyrocket up the rankings. That, of course, won't be too challenging considering they ranked 31st in yards allowed per game last season.

Still, new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's blueprint for the team's defense ought to lead them on the right track.

"My vision for us defensively, we want to be a tough, fast, physical, violent at the point of attack team. What does that mean? That means that you’ve got guys who take pride in not getting blocked. Everybody talks about running to the ball. I don't think there's another person in the world who believes in running to the ball more than I do," Campaile said in February when he was hired by Jacksonville.

"But you can't run to the ball if you don't get off the blocks, and that is something that's going to be celebrated in our room. It's going to be celebrated in the culture of our team."

The message is clear, but how will the team respond?

How improved will the Jaguars' defense be in 2025?

Jacksonville's defense under former DC Ryan Nielson left plenty to be desired. The team was marred by injuries at key positions, including linebacker and corner, but failed to accomplish many of the goals they had ahead of the 2024 campaign.

So, how did they fare last season?

Jaguars 2024 defensive rankings:

• Points per game allowed: 25.6 PPG (27th)
• Yards per game allowed: 389.9 YPG (31st)
• Passing yards per game allowed: 274.4 YPG (32nd)
• Rushing yards per game allowed: 132.6 YPG (24th)
• Sack percentage: 5.54% (29th)
• Takeaways per game: 0.5 (32nd)

Simply put, Jacksonville has a lot of work to do. They began that process during free agency with the acquisition of cornerback Jourdan Lewis and safety Eric Murray, who will earn starting roles with the franchise this season.

The team also moved defensive lineman Arik Armstead back to his natural position inside at defensive tackle after he played defensive end for Nielson's defense last season, his first in Jacksonville.

Multiple players, including but not limited to linebacker Devin Lloyd and defensive linemen Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, were asked to gain significant weight last year. Hines-Allen played at 285 pounds last season, something he won't do this season and something that hampered him last year.

"I get up to, like, 285. I was much bigger. My mindset was always to be as dominant, but obviously, holding a little bit more weight kind of puts a little bit more wear and tear on the body. It was a lot. Too much," Hines-Allen said in June.

"Again, learn to adapt. Got to know what works best for you. Something that I tried, and something that I’m, like, alright, I probably don’t want to do that again. So, we’re working on maintaining a good goal for me this year and putting some good tape out there.”

It doesn't appear to have helped the team one bit. Changing that philosophy alone ought to improve the unit, especially if the standards have improved, too.

In addition to the team's veteran acquisitions, the Jaguars' shrewd move to pick up Hunter ought to make the unit vastly improved. If the Jaguars use Hunter as a corner, he can shut one side of the field down.

That was showcased already during the team's preseason. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hunter earned a coverage sack by locking down the left side of the field, allowing teammate Dawaune Smoot to finish with the sack.

The improvement will need to be on all three levels, but Jacksonville's greatest disappointment ought to be one of their greatest upgrades this year.

Travis Hunter's coverage sack vs Steelers offense.
He's dangerous in zone. Hes watching the QBs eyes the entire time and passes off his receiver to the safety, great cohesiveness even though hes taking reps on offense. pic.twitter.com/6JC7v9v2Zl

— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 11, 2025

What is the biggest question for the Jaguars' defense ahead of the 2025 season?

Ironically, the biggest question mark for the team's defense aligns with their biggest reason for vast improvement: Travis Hunter.

Will Hunter play full-time defense? What will the Jaguars prioritize his talents toward? What is their plan?

Those questions will be answered throughout the year, but the team has given plenty of reason to believe they're full-steam ahead with the Hunter project.

It began with a complicated, yet simple roadmap for the rookie. Something Coen poured hours into, not long after acquiring him.

"The whole camp's mapped out," Coen said of Hunter at the start of camp.

"Every single moment, I don't know if you saw during special teams, he was doing defensive drills and fundamentals and footwork. So, you know, every moment, every minute that he is in the building, it is accounted for and, trying to make sure that we maximize, his time, our time so that we can ultimately get the, you know, the best outcome."

The plan went off, seemingly, without a hitch.

In 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 snaps, Hunter split nearly down the middle on offense and defense. He, unofficially, according to the Times-Union, had 188 snaps on offense with 39 targets and 27 receptions.

On defense, Hunter totaled 176 snaps in term periods with 14 targets, allowing six catches. He broke up five passes and had two tackles in padded practice.

Hunter has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for a couple of weeks, but the injury is minor and he will be good to go for Week 1 against Carolina barring a setback. What the team does with him from then on could signal a flip of the team's defense from a year ago.

Why Josh Hines-Allen's leadership could be most important part of Jaguars defense in 2025

When Hines-Allen joined Jacksonville's roster as the seventh-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, his first interview with Jaguars media still exemplifies what the former Kentucky Wildcat has been for the team.

"I feel like we can help each other out. When they're blocking him, that frees me. When they're blocking me, he can just eat. I feel like me and him can work hand-in-hand together. We can make a lot of plays. We can make something special in Jacksonville," Hines-Allen said in 2019.

That sentiment can be flipped, now. Then, Hines-Allen was speaking of former Jaguars DL Calais Campbell, who mentored the young pass rusher for a season before being traded. Hines-Allen still references Campbell from time to time, but now can pass that leadership down.

Hines-Allen was talking about Campbell then, but now he easily could be talking about his pass-rushing mate Travon Walker, who is coming off back-to-back double-digit sack seasons.

Hines-Allen has already begun setting the stage for the team's defense this year.

“I know we have an identity in each room, and I think when we come onto the field, we’ve got to be the aggressor," Hines-Allen said during camp this year.

"If that’s up front, they cannot run the ball, and when they do pass the ball, we’ve got to make them pay. So, I think our identity is just to be aggressive, come out and swing first, swing last mentality. Just play for one another and communicate at a very high level.”

After achieving 17.5 sacks in 2023, Hines-Allen vowed to get back to form in 2025, up from a "down" year when he posted just eight sacks. The year earned him 63rd in the NFL's Top 100 list. Something he's determined to improve, but not just for himself.

"Now, knowing where I'm at after last year, after a down year, it's time to go back up. And it's time for not only me to get in there, it's time for Tray [DE Travon Walker] to get in there. It's time for Jourdan Lewis. It’s time for Foye [Oluokun]. We have guys that can be on that list and really rack that list up," Hines-Allen said in camp, not long after the list came out.

The same can be said about his aspirations to be Defensive Player of the Year. That's his expectations for Walker, too. And everyone else.

"It’s a mindset at the end of the day. It’s one award, but we all should be out here striving. I feel like all 32 teams strive to win the Super Bowl; only one team can win. So, whoever has that mindset each and every day, who can come out prepared, who can not beat themselves, who comes out with a purpose, I think those are the teams that find success," Hines-Allen said.

"For us, as a defensive mindset, Defensive Player of the Year mindset, how well can I come out here in practice to translate it to the game?

"That’s going to fuel my perfection."

It should fuel the rest of the defense, too.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars preview: Defensive transformation? How will they use Hunter?