The Sports Xchange

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There’s no denying the fact that the Jacksonville Jaguars were not very good on defense in 2015.

They ranked near the bottom in too many statistical categories, including points allowed (26th), run defense (27th), pass defense (22nd) and total defense (27th).

That is why the administration and coaching brass made defense a priority, signing defensive end Jared Odrick, linebacker Dan Skuta, cornerback Davon House and safety Sergio Brown in free agency and drafting Florida end Dante Fowler, Ohio State tackle Michael Bennett and Northern Iowa safety James Sample.

Fowler, the No. 3 overall pick, was expected to be an instant starter based on his impressive credentials and what he showed his senior season at Florida. But his loss to a torn ACL is just one of several setbacks the revamped unit has faced this offseason.

Fowler would have given the Jaguars four new starters on defense, not to mention the return of starting linebacker Paul Posluszny, who missed the final nine games in 2014 with a torn pectoral muscle. Add the improved play of second-year linebacker Telvin Smith, who started eight of the last nine weeks, and there was plenty of reason for optimism.

But starting defensive tackles Sen’Derrick Marks and Roy Miller both underwent knee surgery in the offseason. Marks’ ACL surgery didn’t take place until January, putting his availability for the season opener in jeopardy.

And then, in the first hour of the first day of rookie minicamp, Fowler went down with a torn ACL and will miss the 2015 season.

When the team started voluntary organized team activities, veteran defensive end and team leader Chris Clemons was a no-show. He has missed seven of the 10 practice sessions and is not likely to attend the final three. He is expected to be on hand for next week’s mandatory veteran minicamp.

The Jaguars received more bad news last Friday when it was revealed that Sample had suffered a broken arm in practice. While he’ll have nearly three months to recuperate before the start of the season, Sample probably will start the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Missing four to five weeks of preseason activities could hamper him when he does return.

The bottom line: The positive feeling the Jaguars had about the defense ever since the free-agent signings and Fowler’s selection has been tempered by the setbacks of Fowler and Sample and the absence of Marks, Miller and Clemons in OTAs.

Considering that the latter three make up three-fourths of the starting defensive line, it has left those spots open to be filled in by others. But that’s not all bad, according to defensive line coach Todd Wash.

“I think it’s a good thing. Obviously it’s not good for the injuries, but it really allows us to get some of our guys that are role players or backup players a lot of reps,” Wash said. “As we’ve gone through OTAs, we’ve seen some good improvement in those guys through the reps we’re getting because of the injuries.”

Wash said tackles Ziggy Hood and Abry Jones have taken advantage of their opportunities to run with the No. 1 unit in the absence of Marks and Miller.

“You really see them making strides from where they were a year ago,” Wash said. “Now we’re still in gym class (shorts and helmets) and it’s not physical or anything out there, but you see their technique has gotten a lot better because of all of the reps that they’re getting.”

Odrick also has made the most of his opportunity with the Jaguars. The former Miami Dolphins veteran, who starts his sixth NFL year this fall since being drafted out of Penn State, has impressed Wash with his early play.

“We’re really excited about Odrick. He’s a big, physical guy and he’s real athletic,” Wash added. “Some of the things we ask our ends to do he’s really going to shine at — things that we haven’t done in the past — because we have such a big athlete there now. We’re very excited about Jared and what he’s going to bring to our team.”