Feb. 20, 2026, 7:59 a.m. ET
ESPN analyst Ben Solak has some kind of good news and then some mostly bad news as it pertains to the defensive tackle position this offseason. This, of course, applies to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have a big need at this position.
The overarching theme is that it’s not a great year to need impactful defensive tackle help.
“Weird, weird, weird year when there are simply no interior defensive linemen to go around,” wrote Solak. “This is a position that has been better and better appreciated by league analysts and fans alike in recent years — not to mention by owners’ wallets.”
So what is Solak’s good news as it pertains to this position? Well, it’s a good year to need Denver’s John Franklin-Myers, the highest-ranked defensive tackle in this year’s free agent class.
Franklin-Myers was the only defensive tackle in Matt Bowen’s top 50 free agent rankings. At a position that many teams will be looking to address and with limited options, that is likely to drive up Franklin-Myers’ price tag, and the Jaguars do not have a lot of spending power at the moment, given their salary cap situation.
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Other options include Calais Campbell, David Onyemata, and Sheldon Rankins — all “aging veterans,” as Solak put it.
While there may not be many high-end options in free agency, what about the NFL draft?
“Can the draft class save the defensive tackle-needy teams?” wrote Solak. “Not really! There is no sure thing along the defensive interior in the 2026 draft class.”
Whether it be through the draft, free agency, or both, just about whoever the Jaguars bring in at the defensive tackle position, Anthony Campanile’s scheme could have a key role in elevating the play of this unit.
Down the stretch last season, the Jaguars struggled to generate consistent pressure on the quarterback from the defensive tackle position.