If the 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars defense is set to make the jump into becoming a top pass-rushing unit, defensive tackle Arik Armstead could be Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile’s most important tool chess piece on the board.
Set to return primarily at interior defensive tackle in 2026, following a 2024 campaign in which he played as a defensive end, 2025 Arik Armstead quickly showed flashes of his former self, racking up 48 pressures. Despite sliding inside, where defensive linemen typically
generate fewer pressures than edge rushers, Armstead improved on his 36-pressure output from 2024 while doing so in one fewer game played. The 2024 Walter Payton Man of The Year also increased his sack output from two in 2024 to 5.5 in 2025, the third-best single-season total of his career and his best mark since 2021.
Availability is Key
However, much of that production, including all five of his sacks, came before a Week 12 hand injury suffered in late November. After averaging 73.8 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in Weeks 9 through 12, and collecting two sacks during that stretch, Armstead missed Week 13 before seeing his snap rate drop to an average of 38.4 percent over the final five regular-season games.
Some context that often gets lost in recapping Jacksonville’s 2025 season is that, prior to his week 12 injury, Armstead was tied for first in the NFL of all interior defensive lineman with only Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons at 5 and a half sacks, while also tied for sixth in quarterback pressures for all interior defensive linemen. In other words, when healthy, Armstead was, in every sense of the word, dominant.
The veteran spoke candidly with Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union about managing the injury late in the season: “I was playing with one hand for six games… Couldn’t play as many snaps because it was hard to play the run with just one hand, so I was limited to pass-rush situations. As I got more comfortable with the cast, I was able to be somewhat effective, but couldn’t grab the blocker and couldn’t do certain moves.”
Don’t Call It a Comeback
With that context provided, and despite those limitations present, Armstead’s 81.8 PFF grade in the Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills suggests he was approaching being back to full effectiveness towards the end of the year, while being managed late. In 66 percent of defensive snaps against Buffalo, he totaled one quarterback pressure, two defensive stops, and four total tackles, a promising sign for what a fully healthy 2026 could look like. His 85.2 PFF run-defense grade led all Wildcard Round defensive linemen. With a complete offseason of training and rehabilitation behind him and no injury limitations heading into camp, Armstead appears primed for an even bigger bounce-back season than Duval fans may be expecting.
Pro Football Focus Grading Scale
- 90.0+: Elite
- 80.0–89.9: High quality
- 70.0–79.9: Good
- 60.0–69.9: Above average
- 50.0–59.9: Average
- 40.0–49.9: Below average
- 39.9 or below: Poor
2023 | 12 games at DT
- PFF overall grade: 81.9
- Sacks: 5
- Pressures: 58
2024 | 17 games at DE
- PFF overall grade: 68.7
- Sacks: 2
- Pressures: 36
2025 | 16 games at DT
- PFF overall grade: 60.3 (56th)
- Sacks: 5.5 (17th)
- Pressures: 48 (13th)
If Armstead can replicate his pre-injury 2025 and Wildcard performances across a full 17-game season, this Jacksonville defense could become a genuine problem for the rest of the AFC. That said, sustaining that level of health and availability is a meaningful “if” for a player with Armstead’s injury history.
Since 2021, he has appeared in every regular-season game just once, during the 2024 season, when he was deployed primarily as a defensive end, seeing less double teams and play by play collisions than on the interior. In his three seasons lining up primarily at defensive tackle, his game log reflects totals of 9, 12, and 16 appearances, respectively. In 2026, the 32-year-old will look to defy Father Time by playing in all 17-regular season games and surpassing his 5.5-sack output from last season.
Locked In
For the most part, Jacksonville avoided bringing in significant competition for Armstead’s three-technique defensive tackle role this offseason. With no major free agent acquisitions or notable trades targeting the position directly, Armstead will once again serve as the primary interior pass rusher for this Jaguars defense, the same responsibility he shouldered throughout 2025. With the team potentially able to save $14-million in cap space, heading into this past draft and free agency cycle, inaction on that contract speaks much louder than any other roster moves made.
Notably, the Jaguars primarily sought to reinforce the depth around Armstead, trading Maason Smith to Atlanta Falcons to acquire Ruke Orhorhoro, while adding Albert Regis with a third-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Both moves seem aimed at shoring up the interior defensive line room rather than directly challenging Armstead’s starting role, a quiet vote of confidence for 2026.
What are your sack projections for Arik Armstead for the 2026 season, BigCatCountry? Any thoughts on the decision not to bring in a top draft prospect or free agent acquisition for competition? Let us know in the comments!
