Jaguars DE Dawuane Smooth talks competing for sacks with teammates

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dawuane Smoot got the team’s only sack of the game in Week 3 when he came free off a stunt, ran through the middle of the Los Angeles Chargers offensive line, and forced Justin Herbert to fumble.

For Smoot, it was a chance to catch up to his teammates who were out to an early lead in their sack race.

“I wasn’t even on the board yet,” Smoot said Monday. “All three of those guys ended up getting a sack last week and I wasn’t even on the board, so I was definitely focused on getting on that board this week to accomplish that.”

Which three Jaguars players he’s talking about is unclear as Josh Allen, Arden Key, Roy Robertson-Harris, and Adam Gotsis all recorded sacks against the Indianapolis Colts. Travon Walker also got a sack in the season opening loss to the Washington Commanders.

“It’s a race to the quarterback each time,” Smoot said. “With Arden out there, with Travon, with Josh, it’s a race. We’re just trying to get there as soon as we can because we know the next guy is going to be right behind us.”

Last week, Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell talked about how emphasizing competition among teammates is an easy way to get results.

“Any time with an athlete, you want to get something out of them, just add competition to it because that’s what we do,” Caldwell told reporters Thursday. “You always want to be the best at it, so if my boy next to me is talking and he has three and I only have two. Well, I’m going to study a little more and make sure I get to catch him. Competition fuels what we do.”

Smoot, 27, was the Jaguars’ third-round pick in 2017 and tallied 17.5 sacks in the last three seasons. He’s currently set to become a free agent after the 2022 season.

Story originally appeared on Jaguars Wire