One of the best, most underrated players on one of the NFL’s best, most underrated teams just suffered what looks like a season-ending injury. Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton tore his quad in Sunday’s 42-7 win over the Colts, per Ian Rapoport. This is a massive blow for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. Hamilton, who’s 29, is expected to miss the rest of the year, though he’s got more testing on Monday. Ouch.
The Massive Crater Hamilton Leaves on Defense
Hamilton has been a crucial fixture on that Jaguars defensive line, and you can see why. Jacksonville leads the entire NFL in yards per rush allowed at a ridiculously low 3.4. They’re also shutting down opponents to just 77.4 rushing yards per game, and their defensive rushing success rate is an insane 61.9%. Get this: not a single opponent has managed to run for more than 56 yards against them all year! Hamilton ranks ninth in Pro Football Focus’ run defense grades for interior defensive linemen. Out of his 16 tackles this season, a whopping 15 came on run plays, and 12 of those were on plays that gained three or fewer yards. The dude is a wall.
Liam Coen nailed it back in September when he talked about Hamilton: “So important… He’s so stout. He plays the two gap, whatever gap and a half, he can play it all. He can disrupt if he does need to get into the backfield and pierce things… He’s so selfless. He works his tail off, and there are not many guys that are better examples for what we’re hunting up out of a Jaguar than DaVon.” Selfless, stout, disruptive, crucial. That’s a huge hole to fill. This isn’t just about a player, it’s about the anchor of the league’s best run defense, gone just like that.
Jaguars Were Already Hunting, Now It’s Critical
Here’s the kicker: the Jaguars were *already* in the market for interior defensive line help before Hamilton’s injury, according to Jeremy Fowler. Now, that market search just went from “improving depth” to “finding a damn replacement, pronto.” They’ve got Arik Armstead, Ruke Orhorhoro, Matt Dickerson, and third-round rookie Albert Regis on the interior, but none of those guys are nearly as stout against the run as Hamilton. It’s time for them to make a move.
So, who could they target? Two names are popping up. First, there’s **Otito Ogbonnia** from the Cowboys. Jerry Jones is always a wildcard at the deadline, but Ogbonnia isn’t a flashy name, which is perfect for a DT. He’s been really good against the run this season, actually ranking eighth in PFF’s run defensive grades for interior linemen, one spot *ahead* of Hamilton. With the Cowboys just blowing a lead against the lowly Cardinals, maybe it’s time for them to sell. Ogbonnia is on a one-year deal, so he could fetch a solid third-day pick for Dallas. It makes too much sense. Then there’s **Grover Stewart** of the Colts. Yeah, it’s an in-division move, but the Colts are imploding right now and should probably be happy to move anyone they can get something for.
The Jaguars now face a tough choice. Their Super Bowl aspirations hang in the balance, and they’re “hunting up” a new player, hoping to plug the massive hole left by DaVon Hamilton.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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