Fresh off a rare trade, the defensive tackle eyes a breakout campaign alongside Arik Armstead, utilizing a star-studded front line to master the fine margins of NFL pressure.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is a new addition via trade, and he has high expectations for himself heading into his third NFL season.
The Jaguars swapped Maason Smith and Orhorhoro in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons on April 17. It was a rare player-for-player trade, and both third-round picks had a change of scenery.
Orhorhoro had an underwhelming rookie year with the Falcons, recording zero sacks in eight games. He bounced back last season with 3.5 sacks and 30 pressures in a fully healthy season.
The 6-foot-4 defensive tackle became a depth piece for the Jaguars and has reunited with his summer training partner, Arik Armstead. Orhorhoro said the two trained together in the summers, and now, they're on the same team.
"It's great to finally be out here with him in practice," Orhorhorho told Action Sports Jax's Austen Lane on Thursday. "Perfecting the little details, cleaning up the top of the rush and just honing in on the little details cause that's half a second, man. That half a second, that's all that matters."
Half a second may not sound like much, but it's all the time that determines whether pressure reaches the quarterback. Orhorhoro recorded a 6% pass-rush win rate last season (the stat reflects the player's ability to shed tackles in 2.5 seconds).
His 6% win rate was 10% decrease from his rookie season. Although Orhorhoro's 30 pressures would rank behind Armstead at the defensive tackle position, it likely offers little impact if the team cannot sack the quarterback.
Orhorhoro is part of a talented Jaguars defensive line with Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen on the edges. Opposing teams' game plan against Walker and Hines-Allen, which could help Armstead and Orhorhoro record more sacks.
"It frees me up so much, man, because they're not much worried about me no more," Orhorhoro said. "They're trying to kick out to the end. So that gives me and Arik a lot of snakes in the middle of work, and it's great to have those guys screaming off the edge cause they're going to feed me a lot, and I'm going to feed them a lot, too.
Jacksonville and Orhorhoro have expectations heading into the young defensive tackle's third season. The change of scenery, pass-rush potential and talented defensive line are all supporting factors to what could be a breakout season.
Orhorhoro is on the second-to-last year of his contract, adding another incentive to perform well. He said he is putting everything together and will let his game do the talking when out on the field.
"Everything takes gradual steps," Orhorhorho said. "You know, Rome wasn't built in a day. But it still got built at the end of the day, you know what I'm saying? So, I'm taking a step each year and year three is a big year for me to put it together."
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