The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't make many moves in the offseason, but one addition is being looked at as a potential breakout candidate for 2026.
Before the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jaguars traded Maason Smith to the Atlanta Falcons for Ruke Orhorhoro. Orhorhoro not only provides more depth at pass rush, but he was a more productive option last season than Smith, whose role diminished throughout the 2025 season.
Since being drafted in 2023, Orhorhoro saw his playing time steadily increase, ending 2025 with 121 defensive tackles, 30 pressures, and four sacks. It's widely ******* umed he will benefit from a fresh start in Jacksonville.
It's not surprising, then, that ESPN's Ben Solak named Orhorhoro as the Jaguars' breakout candidate for 2026.
"Orhorhoro hasn't had enough splash plays yet to even call him an exciting developmental player," Solak wrote. "But the new opportunity in Jacksonville comes with a thin depth chart. Nose tackle DaVon Hamilton and aging veteran Arik Armstead are the only players clearly above Orhorhoro on the depth chart in what figures to be a rotation anyway. If he is freed up to play a penetrating, disrupting style, he should become an important player with the Jags."
Before the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jaguars traded Maason Smith to the Atlanta Falcons for Ruke Orhorhoro. Orhorhoro not only provides more depth at pass rush, but he was a more productive option last season than Smith, whose role diminished throughout the 2025 season.
Since being drafted in 2023, Orhorhoro saw his playing time steadily increase, ending 2025 with 121 defensive tackles, 30 pressures, and four sacks. It's widely ******* umed he will benefit from a fresh start in Jacksonville.
It's not surprising, then, that ESPN's Ben Solak named Orhorhoro as the Jaguars' breakout candidate for 2026.
"Orhorhoro hasn't had enough splash plays yet to even call him an exciting developmental player," Solak wrote. "But the new opportunity in Jacksonville comes with a thin depth chart. Nose tackle DaVon Hamilton and aging veteran Arik Armstead are the only players clearly above Orhorhoro on the depth chart in what figures to be a rotation anyway. If he is freed up to play a penetrating, disrupting style, he should become an important player with the Jags."
3 months ago
