After a hand injury derailed his dominant 2025 campaign, the veteran defensive tackle returns to anchor a Jacksonville front desperate to transform consistent pressure into elite sack numbers.
Jacksonville defensive tackle Arik Armstead is ready to pick up where he left off last season—prior to a hand injury that derailed what was a productive second season with the Jaguars.
Through the first 11 games of 2025, the veteran made his first real impact since signing a three-year, $43 million contract with Jacksonville in 2026 after racking up 5.5 sacks, 11 solo tackles, seven tackles for loss, 14 quarterback pressures, seven quarterback hits and played more than 70 percent of the defensive snaps in seven of his first 11 games.
However, in a 27-24 overtime win against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12, Armstead suffered a hand injury that would curb his production. Wearing a protective cast for the remainder of the season he managed just two tackles, two quarterback pressures, one quarterback hit and he played less than 30 snaps in four of the last five games of the regular season.
During OTAs Armstead said his start to last season was just the beginning as he enters his 12th NFL season.
“I think I did have a big season,” he said of his 2025 season. “I hurt my hand which hindered my production later in the season, but everything I showed when I was healthy in the 10 or 11 games before I got hurt I was top of the league in everything. I think that’s show’s itself.”
The Jaguars finished 13-4 and won the AFC South Division for the first time since 2022 thanks in large part to the defense. Jacksonville was No. 8 in the NFL in points allowed (19.8 points per game) and was No. 11 in the league in total yards allowed (303.6 total yards per game).
Despite the overall statistics, Jacksonville struggled against the pass in 2025. The Jaguars were No. 21 in league giving up 218.1 passing yards per game and No. 27 in team sacks (32). Anthony Campanile’s defensive scheme did produce 159 quarterback pressures (No. 7) and 62 quarterback knockdowns (No. 6).
In the Jaguars’ season-ending 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the 2025 playoffs, Jacksonville managed just one sack on Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, who completed 80 percent of his passes (28-of-35) for 273 yards and a passing touchdown.
Campanile said Armstead is an important member of the defensive front for the Jaguars.
“We just need the production we were seeing before Arik got hurt,” Campanile said. “He came back and pushed through it at the end of the year. Arik is a huge guy inside. He creates great middle push and has elite pass-rush value for us. We just need him to keep going the way he’s been going.”
For his career Armstead has 41.0 sacks, 53 TFLs and 103 quarterback hits with the San Francisco 49ers and Jaguars.
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