Jacksonville Jaguars: All in on Ndamukong Suh

With NFL free agency set to begin on March 10, the Detroit Lions have decided not to use the franchise tag on superstar defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Barring an 11th-hour contract agreement with the Lions, it looks as though the three time All-Pro will hit the free agent market.

According to CBSSports.com, the Jacksonville Jaguars will have $61.58 million worth of cap space this off-season, the most of any team in the league. That being said, the question now becomes whether or not the Jaguars should target Suh in free agency.

I think this is an absolute no brainer for the Jags regardless of the price tag. As a 28-year old who is in the prime of his career, Suh would easily be the biggest free agent acquisition in team history. In addition to being such a physical player, Suh’s durability has been on full display during his time in the Motor City. The former number two overall pick has missed just two games in his five year career.

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Also, Suh was a key component to a Lions’ defense that ranked number one against the run. Detroit allowed just 1,109 rushing yards in 2014. By comparison, the Jaguars’ defense finished 27th in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing a whopping 2,033 yards. Jacksonville’s defensive minded head coach Gus Bradley would love nothing more than to plug up this glaring weakness by adding Suh.

Numbers alone cannot accurately describe the type of impact Suh’s presence has on the rest of his defensive unit. Suh consistently commands double and sometimes even triple teams from opposing offensive lines, which opens up opportunities for other defenders to pile up the production.

Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit’s extremely raw first round pick in 2013 has collected an impressive 15.5 sacks in his two seasons. Fellow defensive end George Johnson, an undrafted player who did not register a single sack in his first three NFL seasons, recorded six sacks in 2014, his first year with the Lions. Safety Glover Quin picked off eight passes in his first five seasons in the league. This past year with the Lions saw Quinn nab seven interceptions and earn his first-ever trip to the Pro Bowl.

In my opinion, it would be hard to imagine these players producing similar numbers without Suh wreaking havoc in opposing backfields. Jacksonville Jaguars’ current defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks is coming off of a breakout season himself. If he were to be teamed up with Suh and a top pass rusher from this year’s deep NFL draft class, Jacksonville’s defensive line would look a whole lot nastier in 2015.

Not only would a monstrous force like Suh improve Jacksonville’s defensive line, but added pressure in the face of opposing quarterbacks would help create more turnovers. Jacksonville intercepted just six passes last year, good for 30th in the NFL. In fact, linebacker J.T. Thomas was the Jaguars’ team leader in interceptions with just two. Starting safeties Johnathan Cyprien and Josh Evans have each played two NFL seasons and have just one career interception between the two of them. The addition of Suh would surely give these young defenders more interception opportunities.

The Indianapolis Colts are currently the only team in the AFC South division with a legitimate franchise quarterback. Therefore, loading up on defense may be the best possible counter move against Andrew Luck. The Houston Texans have had some success employing this strategy as their defensive stalwart J.J. Watt nearly led the Texans to the playoffs last year. Although their position and style of play are vastly different, Suh and Watt strike the same amount of fear on opposing offenses.

Some Jags’ fans may not like the idea of Suh coming to Jacksonville because of his reputation as a dirty player. According to ESPN.com, Suh has been fined $420,669 in his career due to unnecessary roughness penalties. However, I think Suh’s reputation as a flagrantly vicious defender is exactly what this team needs because the Jacksonville Jaguars are currently an NFL doormat. In a blood sport like football, being viewed as a pushover is much more damaging to one’s credibility than being viewed as dirty. Adding a player like Suh will send a message to opponents that Jacksonville is determined to win by any means necessary.

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