JACKSONVILLE – He’s showing growth, which matters for Maason Smith.
It’s important for the Jaguars, too, with the rookie defensive tackle playing increasingly extensively – and increasingly productively – as the 2024 regular season approaches an end.
He’s showing signs of being a force where the Jaguars need one.
“Every time I go out there, I put my best foot forward and continue to grow, continue to get better,” Smith said as the Jaguars (3-12) prepared to play the Tennessee Titans (3-12) at the EverBank Stadium Sunday.
Smith in recent weeks has done just that, getting extensive playing time after often being inactive early in the season. He registered his second sack of the season this past Sunday in an impressive performance in a 19-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium In Las Vegas.
“I thought Maason played well,” Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson said. “He had some really good plays in the game. He’s improving each week. Probably, I would say, his best game to date.”
Smith, a second-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, started a third consecutive game Sunday. He registered a sack, a quarterback hit and two tackles for loss.
“For me, it’s just getting the reps,” Smith said. “I feel like repetition makes perfection. So just doing it a lot more times helps me out. Ultimately it helped me out in my play [Monday].”
Sunday’s game continued a recent stretch of increased opportunity, with Smith having played the last four games after being inactive six times this season. That stretch included five consecutive games, with multiple games missed because of an ankle injury.
“I choose not to really worry about that type of stuff – things that are out of my control,” Smith said of being inactive when healthy. “I try to stay away from it, putting my mind on the things that are bad or things that haven’t happened for me this season.”
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