Jaguars players

Top Five Best Jaguars Players Of 2024

Despite a disappointing season ending in a four-and-13 record, the top five best Jacksonville Jaguars players of the 2024 season profoundly impacted the field. From multiple rookies coming onto the scene and making an immediate impact to veterans continuing to be a presence, the Jaguars, amid a frustrating season, saw these five players shine brightly.

Who Are The Top Five Best Jaguars Players of 2024?

 

With the Jaguars having a forgettable 2024 season, there were still plenty of bright spots in every phase of the game. Of the top five best Jaguars players of 2024, one stands out above the rest for his massive breakout season.

1. Brian Thomas Jr. – Wide Receiver

For the best Jaguars players of 2024, Brian Thomas Jr. is far and away the most deserving of the team MVP for the 2024 season. With the Jaguars trading down with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2024 NFL Draft, they picked up draft capital and still got their guy in Thomas. The selection has an absolute home run.

In his rookie season, Thomas had 87 receptions on 127 targets for 1,282 receiving yards and ten touchdowns, along with 48 rushing yards on six attempts. 1,330 yards in his first season as a pro is a great start to Thomas’ career, and he put up those numbers despite the Jaguars dealing with a plethora of injuries on offense.

His production with Trevor Lawrence banged up for half the season, and Mac Jones taking over, makes his 2024 rookie campaign all the more impressive. Thomas led all rookie receivers in receiving yards and touchdowns and was third overall in receiving yards and sixth in touchdowns among all players. There was no more deserving player to earn the top spot among the best Jaguars players of 2024.

2. Travon Walker – Edge Rusher

Travon Walker is ranked second among the best Jaguars players of 2024 thanks to another great season where he once again reached double-digit sacks. Walker had ten sacks on 56 pressures according to Pro Football Focus, good for the most sacks on the team and second most pressures on the team. His production amid a terrible defensive season was one of the few bright spots for the Jacksonville. Walker’s improvement year-over-year is a very encouraging sign for the future of the Jaguars’ number one overall selection.

Walker has had another quiet, yet very solid season. 2023 saw Walker get home with 11 sacks, and he once again reached double digits in sacks, while continuing to get consistent pressure. Walker’s best day came against the Indianapolis Colts. He had a massive day when the Jaguars beat the Colts, getting three sacks en route to the Jaguars’ first win. Walker is getting better with each year, and looking ahead to 2025 Walker is an exciting player to keep an eye on.

3. Jarrian Jones – Cornerback

Ranked third, and the second rookie among the best Jaguars players of 2024 is slot cornerback Jarrian Jones. Jones finished his rookie season not allowing a single touchdown, an impressive feat that would get more national attention if it weren’t for the rest of the defense struggling around him. Jones had one of the best rookie seasons among all defensive players, and with so many other great defensive backs across the league, Jones has gone underrated.

Jones was the best defensive back for the Jaguars in 2024, and he has the numbers to back it up. Not allowing a touchdown all year is incredibly impressive, as is the rest of his coverage stats. He had six pass breakups according to Pro Football Focus, and has one interception. His passer rating against was 86.6, the lowest among all starters on defense for the Jaguars.

As one of the most exciting players among the best Jaguars players of 2024, Jones has a lot of upside not just in coverage but also in the box. Jones had two sacks on only nine pass-rushing snaps, to go with the best run-defensive grade among all Jaguars defenders according to Pro Football Focus. The emergence of a lockdown slot corner has led the Jaguars’ defensive back to be a huge piece of the Jaguars’ future, and his production in 2024 earns him a spot among the best Jaguars players of 2024.

4. Logan Cooke – Punter

On a team that struggled offensively all year, the Jaguars were consistently forced to punt the ball. Logan Cooke had one of the best seasons among all punters in the NFL, and he earned honors in doing so. Cooke was named second-team All-Pro for the Jaguars along with long-snapper Ross Matiscik. Cooke helped the Jaguars flip field position consistently all year, and he was doing so by taking the returner out of it often.

Cooke’s ability to coffin-corner, or kick the ball out of bounds before the endzone, is one of the biggest benefits to Cooke’s game. It’s also not just about limiting a return but pinning a team deep in their territory. Cooke is tied for fifth most punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line according to Pro Football Focus.

Taking a dangerous returner out of the game is always a good decision for a punter. It’s easier said than done, and Cooke’s ability to consistently limit a return is one of his best traits. When the Jaguars’ offense and defense get fixed in the future, his leg can be the difference between wins and losses. While not a flashy addition to the best Jaguars players of 2024, Cooke’s importance to the Jaguars shouldn’t be lost among all the hype for the rookies in Jacksonville.

5. Josh Hines-Allen – Edge Rusher

While the Jaguars star edge rusher didn’t have quite the same production he had in 2023, Josh Hines-Allen still deserves being ranked as one of the best Jaguars players of 2024. Hines-Allen had nine sacks on 63 pressures in the first year of his big new deal, and despite 2024 being a ‘step back’ Hines-Allen had another good season. He led the Jaguars in pressures and was second in sacks behind Walker.

Overall, Hines-Allen had the 12th most pressure in the NFL and was the 14th highest-graded pass rusher according to Pro Football Focus. Hines-Allen had a season that didn’t reach the same heights as his breakout 2023 campaign, but he still was a force to be reckoned with during the 2024 season. The only thing holding Hines-Allen back from being ranked higher among the best Jaguars players of 2024 was his ability to finish on his pressures. He could generate pressure but would struggle to bring the quarterback down or hit him in general.

But at the end of the day, Hines-Allen was one of the best Jaguars players of 2024, and his production was still worthy of praise amidst a terrible season by the Jaguars. On a defense that struggled immensely, having Hines-Allen produce the way he did is a great sign for the future when the defense begins to figure out its identity.

Honorable Mentions

The 2024 Jaguars season finished with a poor record, but there were plenty of eye-catching individual performances. A great example was the production of rookie kicker Cam Little. Little played all 17 games for the Jaguars and attempted 29 field goals, making 27 of his attempts with his only misses coming from 55 yards out and 43 yards out. His production earned him the fourth-highest Pro Football Focus grade for a kicker, and an honorable mention for the best Jaguars players of 2024.

Another honorable mention is the rebound of Tank Bigsby after one of the worst rookie seasons from a running back in recent years. Bigsby broke off multiple long runs and limited the ratio of his turnover-worthy plays. He still has a lot more room to grow, but there is a lot of optimism about his ability to be a bully in the running game. Pair him with a dynamic running back in 2025, and the Jaguars could have a discounted version of the Detroit Lions backfield.

Lastly, the Jaguars linebackers Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd deserve to be honorable mentions for the best Jaguars players of 2024. Both linebackers contributed in their own way, with Oluokun being a great coverage linebacker while Lloyd was fantastic in pass rush and run-stopping situations. The two were the most consistent parts of the Jaguars’ defense outside of the edge rushing duo and should continue to make an impact in 2025.

Looking through all of the best Jaguars players of 2024, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that are hard to come by. An elite receiver, on a rookie deal no less, along with a rookie slot cornerback who can sure up the defense for 2025 is a great start. The pass-rushing duo of Walker and Hines-Allen continues to be great, while the Jaguars have a very good core special teams unit in Cooke, Little, and Matiscik.

The best Jaguars players of 2024 will all be returning in 2025, and all will continue to make a huge impact on the Jaguars organization going forward. While the 2024 season was a frustrating one, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into the future in Jacksonville. From being an appealing location for one of the Jaguars’ head coaching candidates after the Jaguars fired Doug Pederson, to having a lot of assets for the upcoming NFL Draft, there is a path to future success for the Jaguars.

Main Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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