JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen was on the EverBank Stadium field early in the spring of 2022 thinking about the legacy he wanted to build.
He was by himself, refining the techniques that would eventually help him become one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. During a rest period, he looked around the stadium and read the names of the six players who have been inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars — the club’s ring of honor — hoping his name would join them someday.
At that moment, it seemed far away.
“I was working really hard. I was waking up really early,” Hines-Allen remembered. “And I’m looking up there and I’m seeing [Hall of Fame offensive tackle] Tony Boselli and I’m seeing all these guys. I’m like, ‘I’m going to put my name up there.'”
While he delivered one of the team’s most critical plays later that following season — returning a fumble for a touchdown in Week 18 to help the Jaguars win the AFC South — Hines-Allen wasn’t seeing the progress he’d hoped would result from all the extra training. He finished the season with half a sack less (7) than the season before (7.5). As a result, he worked harder last offseason .