Paul Posluszny Injury an Opportunity for Jaguars Young Linebackers

Everyone talks about how the running back position has changed in response to how the passing game is valued these days. In 1998, four running backs went in the first round. In 2014, Bishop Sankey was the first back off the board, at No. 54 overall. 

But the decline of the NFL running game has brought down the importance of every run-related position. Fullback usage is at an all-time low. Blocking tight ends are roster afterthoughts. And, most importantly for our purposes in this post, the run-thumping middle linebacker has seen his value decrease significantly. 

Paul Posluszny was born 20 years too late. 

In the mid-1990's NFL, pro-style offenses thrived. Middle linebackers like Jack Del Rio and Levon Kirkland were set up to stuff the run first and cover later. This is the era where a downhill player like Posluszny would have thrived. 

In today's NFL, Posluszny goes down for the season with a torn pectoral muscle and, well, it's probably not going to make a big impact on Jacksonville's bottom line. Posluszny is a respected player with great instincts, a former Pro Bowler and a fairly important cog in Jacksonville's run defense. But between his lack of coverage ability, his age, his salary and the fact that his skill set has been devalued by the market, Jacksonville should have no problem replacing him. 

In fact, had Jacksonville been in a position where it hadn't needed the bloated contract it gave Posluszny to anchor its salary-cap number to the league minimum, there's a fair chance he would have been released years ago. 

As they've been doing at other positions, the Jaguars have been quietly stockpiling cheap, young players who deserve a chance at a full-time gig. It sounds harsh to gloss over a player like Posluszny, but his injury is more of an opportunity for the Jaguars to see what their talent-acquisition efforts have unearthed than anything. 

Player	Career NFL Snaps	PFF Run Grade	PFF Coverage Grade
Telvin Smith	193	-3.2	+1.0
J.T. Thomas	309	-1.3	-6.8
LaRoy Reynolds	150	+4.7	+0.7
Jeremiah George	0	n/a	n/a

Look, there's a fair chance the Jaguars may not find any starters out of their undrafted/waiver-claim linebacker pool. Certainly, though they have had ups as well as downs, nobody has really stood out in limited action. Jacksonville didn't hand outside linebacker Dekoda Watson a three-year, $6.25 million deal this offseason just because it liked his talent and thought he might be a fit. The truth is that none of these linebackers has really distinguished themselves yet. 

But sometimes, all it takes is a true opportunity. The Jaguars are 1-6, going nowhere fast. Per Football Outsiders, they literally have a 0.0 percent chance to make the playoffs this season. The one thing they have a supply of is opportunity.

Last week, rookie fifth-rounder Telvin Smith overtook Geno Hayes in the starting lineup. All Smith did was win AFC Defensive Player of the Week after forcing a fumble, notching a sack and intercepting Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer to seal Jacksonville's first win. 

Maybe Jacksonville doesn't have another Smith on this roster—Smith was a big favorite of the draftnik community, unlike most of these players. But it certainly now has the chance to find out. It could be J.T. Thomas, who Florida Times-Union beat writer Ryan O'Halloran reports will get the first chance at starting.

They can also evaluate LaRoy Reynolds, Jeremiah George or any other waiver claim who can be dug up. Jacksonville can use this position to create another cheaply paid asset to help set it up for future success. 

Posluszny's skill set—the run-thumping, overpaid middle linebacker who brings value via his consistency—is a dinosaur in today's NFL. The Jaguars are hoping that they can find the right cheap, young player—a different breed of Smith—to make him extinct.

Rivers McCown is the AFC South lead writer for Bleacher Report and the co-host of the Three-Cone Drill podcast. His work has also appeared on Football Outsiders and ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at @riversmccown.