Assessing the Jaguars' Linebacker Depth Chart After Schobert Trade

Late Thursday morning, Joe Schobert was in Jacksonville, practicing as the Jacksonville Jaguars starting middle linebacker. By late Thursday evening, a trade had been arranged to send him to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

When Schobert signed in 2020 as a free agent with the Jaguars, he was brought in to be the quintessential quarterback of the defense, as well as a compliment to Myles Jack. With Schobert at MIKE, Jack was able to slide over to the WILL (weakside linebacker) which is where he was a better fit.

With Schobert now packing his bags, where does that leave the middle linebacker position? For that matter, where does it leave the linebacker corp and the entire defense? Let’s break down the depth chart as it stands after the trade.

Schobert was a bright spot on otherwise fairly disappointing defense. He finished the year as the Jaguars leading tackler, with 141. He added 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, four passes defended, three interceptions and a touchdown off of a turnover. Schobert and Jack were a formidable duo together, both even in the Top 10 in the league in tackles at times.

It was presumed Schobert would be the starting MLB yet again this season. To do so required an adjustment within new Defensive Coordinator Joe Cullen’s scheme.

“It is not too much,” Schobert told reporters back on July 31, following practice. “I mean, the biggest challenge over here is different terminology, different language than the defense. But I think it has been a pretty good, smooth install so far. A lot of guys, obviously there’s going to be kinks to work out, especially when we start going through two-minute situations, thinking fast. There’s going to be mistakes this early in camp, but overall, it’s been a smooth transition.”

Whether it was or wasn’t smooth may not have been the factor in the Jaguars willingness to trade Schobert. While his coverage skills and ability to go sideline-to-sideline are coveted, it’s also something Jack can bring. The Jaguars have promised all offseason their run defense would be stronger in 2021, and to do that, they will want to put more of a downhill tackler at middle linebacker.

A look at the roster reveals the Jags already have that in their possession.

Damien Wilson came to Jacksonville as a free agent after two years starting for the Kansas City Chiefs. He won a Super Bowl and competed for another during that time, lining up as the starting MIKE some games and WILL during others.His versatility is the first thing inside linebacker coach Charlie Strong noted about Wilson’s game.

“Damien’s doing a really good job for us and the thing you like about Damien is, he is so versatile,” explained Strong on August 2. “So I can play him at SAM backer which is outside linebacker and he can play inside at MIKE and WILL…so he is playing both of them and just rotating with them. Great attitude and the good thing about him coming in from Kansas City — he has won so he has proven he has won so the guys have a lot of respect for him.”

His final year in Kansas City, Wilson was used primarily in run defense, according to Pro Football Focus. He missed four games during the regular season, so accumulated 52 tackles during his 12 appearances. Also according to PFF, Wilson posted only a 5.3% missed tackle percentage during that time.

In other words, he can bring the wall the Jaguars seem to want in the middle of the field. And luckily for Wilson, he stepped into a defense that will highlight that skill set.

“To be honest, this scheme is similar to the one I had over in Kansas City for the last two years,” Wilson told reporters on August 3. “So, I’m awfully familiar with it, changing verbiage and terminology and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, football is football and it’s a real linebacker-friendly defense. So, we’re just running and hitting out there.”

Being linebacker friendly translates to allowing Wilson to get low and hit.

The most important aspect of the MIKE linebacker though is having someone who can be the quarterback for the defense. They are typically the player who gives the defensive calls, checks for the right number and personnel on the field and moves around anyone who is in the wrong position.

On Sunday, during the Jaguars “scrimmage,” Wilson handled the responsibility. During one point in particular, Wilson was seen moving K’Lavon Chaisson closer to the line with his voice, then physically moving an interior lineman over into the correct gap.

With Chaisson taking on the SAM linebacker role in certain situations, and Jack roaming the opposite side at WILL, Wilson should be able to focus purely on the middle linebacker job. If the situation calls for though and his versatility is called upon to move him around, the Jaguars will turn to second year player Shaquille Quarterman.

The Miami alum and Jacksonville native played sparingly as a rookie; a by-product of being Schobert’s backup. But during his record breaking 52 games with the Hurricanes, Quarterman racked up 356 tackles, which ranks ninth place in Miami history. He’s ferocious, never scared to lower his shoulder and create a scrum in the middle of the field. He can learn from Wilson, since their games are so similar, and spend time growing before the Jaguars would have to rely on him.

Joe Schobert is one of the top linebackers in the league. In 2020, he was first in the position in interceptions, and seventh in solo tackles. He was one of the—and at times only—dependable part of the Jags 2020 defense. You know what you get with Schobert, and it’s something many teams, including the Steelers, need. For the Jaguars though, their needs lies in other places and in other players. And based on the current depth chart, those players are already in the building.