Jacksonville Jaguars: Yannick Ngakoue ending holdout readies defensive rebound

Jacksonville Jaguars pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue joined training camp to end his holdout, which primes the defense to bounce back in 2019.

Nick Foles taking over the quarterback position for the Jacksonville Jaguars is a massive improvement for the team as a whole. Though Blake Bortles had his moments, he was never going to be able to do enough to get the offense over the hump. Foles, however, has that potential. Even still, the Jaguars are a team whose success is predicated on their defense.

At every level of the defense — even with linebacker Telvin Smith sitting out for the 2019 season — the Jaguars have high-end playmakers. With all due respect to Jalen Ramsey, this is most apparent on the defensive line.

Despite cutting Malik Jackson earlier this offseason, the Jaguars still have Calais Campbell, Marcel Dareus, Taven Bryan and first-round rookie Josh Allen. The big question, though, was what would happen with pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue. Looking for a lucrative new contract entering the final year of his rookie contract, he had been holding out to begin training camp.

On Sunday, however, Ngakoue ended his holdout and joined Jacksonville for practice, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:

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It’s understandable why Ngakoue wants a big-time new contract. The third-round pick in 2016 has vastly out-performed his draft stock at the time. He’s accrued at least eight sacks in each of his first three seasons and 29.5 total in his career to this point, along with 70 quarterback hits. He’s a high-end pass-rusher, an exceptionally valuable commodity in the pass-happy NFL.

Having him end the holdout is massive for the Jaguars. They need Ngakoue on the field for 2019 if they are to reach their potential with Foles. This is a team hoping to re-establish themselves as one of the elite defenses in the league. And, frankly, they need to.

While the offense should improve markably in the 2019 season, the 2018 season showcased the vital importance of the Jaguars defense to the team’s success. In 2017 as the team almost made it to the Super Bowl, the team was the best defense in the NFL according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA. Last season, they fell to sixth in the same metric.

That may not seem like quite the precipitous drop-off but for a team that has plenty of shortcomings (even with Foles) on offense, having the defense take that kind of step back is the difference between being a contender and being one of the worst teams in the league.

Subsequently, having Ngakoue back in the fold is crucial. Especially with Jackson gone and Smith out, this is a defense that can’t afford to not have their heavy hitters on the field. Ngakoue qualifies as one of those players and, without him, the Jaguars defense would be a lesser version of themselve. Yes, the rookie Allen is a high-end prospect but he’s not a proven, polished player like Ngakoue.

In terms of Ngakoue’s contract, this may actually be a bad sign for his future in Jacksonville. He may be ending the holdout because a deal isn’t going to get done and so he’s going to play out 2019 and then hit free agency (or take the franchise tag). That’s not out of the question.

For the 2019 season, though, the Jaguars have to be thrilled with the defensive end’s return. They are simply a better defense with Ngakoue back on the field. And, for this team to reach their potential and rebound with the arrival of Foles, Jacksonville needs the defense to be at their best.