The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Arik Armstead is among PFF’s top defensive tackles heading into the 2025 NFL season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Arik Armstead is among Pro Football Focus’ top defensive tackles heading into the 2025 NFL season.

PFF has been putting together its ranking of the top 32 players at each position group. At defensive tackle, Trevor Sikkema had Armstead at No. 23 on his list.

“Armstead has moved from interior defender to edge defender throughout his career, but he plans to move back inside in 2025 and be an “elite player” once again,” wrote Sikkema. “He’s not wrong, as he did post a near-elite single-season PFF overall grade (89.6) in 2019. He recorded just 36 quarterback pressures last season, but that could have very well stemmed from playing out of position.”

The 2024 season was Armstead’s first with the Jaguars, and he was moved to defensive end, despite coming off several highly productive seasons at tackle while with the San Francisco 49ers.

After recording 58 pressures and eight sacks in 2023 at defensive tackle, Armstead produced just 36 pressures and two sacks in 2024 by PFF’s metrics. In addition to that, Armstead went from ranking ninth among defensive tackles in pass rush win rate in 2023 to ranking 32nd among edge defenders in 2024.

This season, under new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, Armstead will be making the move back inside.

“I think that’s where I’m best,” Armstead said of the tackle position while appearing on the O-Zone Podcast. “I’ve played both in my career and had success at both, but I can have the biggest effect on the quarterback playing and rushing against guards and centers. That’s what I do best.”

The defensive tackle position as a whole was thought to be a pressing need for the Jaguars this offseason. However, no addition was made there in free agency or in the NFL draft, showcasing the confidence that GM James Gladstone has in the players that were already on the roster and Campanile’s ability to maximize their skill sets.

Maason Smith has mentioned that this will be a more attacking Jaguars’ front in this new defense, while Gladstone alluded to there being more movement up front as well, which can help put players in advantageous situations based on their skill sets and what the matchup dictates.