Dominating despite a lackluster Jacksonville pass rush, the star edge rusher claims his third consecutive top-100 ranking after consistently pressuring the quarterback last season.
Josh Hines-Allen continues to be not only the best and most consistent pass rusher on the Jacksonville Jaguars, but one of the best in the entire league.
Hines-Allen led the team with eight sacks last season, the lone bright spot for a pass rush that only recorded a total of 32. Injuries limited Hines-Allen's running mate, Travon Walker, who only had 3.5 sacks after notching double digits in each of the two prior seasons.
Even without the benefit of having anyone who could take away the offense's attention, JHA remained a consistent force for the Jaguars and finished as PFF's 6th-highest-graded edge rusher (out of 115 who qualified) with an 86.8 overall grade.
He will be counted on once again this season to lead Jacksonville's defense as the team tries to improve upon last year's remarkable 13-win campaign that, unfortunately, ended without a playoff victory.
Hines-Allen will look to be even better this year and should be able to count on getting more help from Walker. The Jaguars could also do JHA an enormous favor by trading for star defensive tackle Vita Vea, who recently requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In his seven seasons in Duval, JHA has established himself as one of the league's best players. That reputation continues, as Hines-Allen was just ranked 48th on the NFL's list of its top 100 players for the 2026 season.
No Stranger To The List
This is the third straight year that JHA has made the list, and his second time in the top 50. The rankings note just how much better he was as a pass rusher than anyone else on the Jaguars last season.
"For the AFC South champions, Hines-Allen was the pass-rush threat. Jacksonville’s sack leader had 25% of the team’s sacks. His team-best 80 QB pressures saw him emerge as the only Jaguar with north of 31. His QB hits (28) and tackles for loss (12) were also team-high tallies as he checked in on the Top 100 for the third year in a row and in the top 50 for the second time.
"NFL Pro Insight for Hines-Allen: Hines-Allen's 80 QB pressures were tied for fourth in 2025 and were 46 more than any other Jaguars player, the largest gap in the league between a team’s two leading pressure players."
JHA still being able to generate 80 pressures over the course of the season is incredibly impressive, especially since stopping him was the focal point of every offensive game plan the Jaguars faced. Even though he turned those 80 pressures into only eight sacks, JHA consistently won his matchups and impacted games.
Final Thoughts
The Jaguars' defense needs to improve its pass rush this season. Better health from Walker should provide a significant boost and take some of the pressure off of Hines-Allen, who has said he wants to break Myles Garrett's single-season sack record of 23.
Hines-Allen spoke earlier this offseason about wanting he and Walker to be the best pass-rushing duo in the league this season. He currently owns Jacksonville's single-season sack record with 17.5, noting that Walker is hungry to surpass him.
Getting to Garrett's 23 sacks may be unlikely, but Hines-Allen is always a solid bet to be a game-wrecker. He is the most important player on Jacksonville's defense and his presence must always be accounted for.
It's great to see JHA getting recognition around the league for his stellar play. If he can even come close to breaking Garrett's, or even his own, sack record this season, Hines-Allen should be even higher on the top-100 list next year.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
