DEFENSIVE END JOSH HINES-ALLEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025
(On how he’s adjusted to the new defense and coaching staff) “I think we’ve adjusted well,
including myself. I think just being in the building, being here, being with the guys, getting
the communication from the coach’s mouth is always huge. The coaches have been
awesome. Very communicative. They want to get us better, they want to be involved, they
want us to be for each other, and you can tell by the passion that they give each and every
day. I love it. Group of coaches that I want to sacrifice my body for and give it all I can. I’m
excited for what this year brings us.”
(On why it was important to be at this year’s OTAs) “I mean, it was a lot of different things.
Just a lot of different things. I think we can get into that a little bit later.”
(On if he’ll still be training in Arizona like in years past) “I think there’s a time and a place.
Before I came here, I was in AZ. There’s a time for me to go work out there. I’m getting older,
so things are going to probably change a little bit throughout the year. Just have to find out
what works best for me each and every year. Can’t try to recreate things I did last year. Got
to create a year within itself and learn to adapt, which I’m learning. But being here has been
awesome. I’ve enjoyed everything about it.”
(On if being at OTAs can be beneficial with the new staff) “Definitely. Definitely getting their
terminology. Just different things that we’ve used last year that they use, it’s on like D-line
fronts. It’s switched for us. I’m still processing jet-front and rush-front from last year to this
year because I’m so used to one thing, but have to translate it to a different coaching staff’s
terminology. But it’s going good. They’re being very patient with us, but we’re also being very
studious as a team, as players, of getting it. So, we’re doing good.”
(On if he ever hit 280 pounds as a playing weight last year) “I did. I did. I get up to, like, 285. I
was much bigger. My mindset was always to be as dominant, but obviously, holding a little
bit more weight kind of puts a little bit more wear and tear on the body. It was a lot. Too
much. Again, learn to adapt. Got to know what works best for you. Something that I tried,
and something that I’m, like, alright, I probably don’t want to do that again. So, we’re
working on maintaining a good goal for me this year and putting some good tape out there.”
(On if the extra weight wore on his body by the end of the year) “See, I don’t know because I
was also getting banged up a lot more. My body was not cooperating as much as I would
want it to. I take care of my body to the utmost, but it was a little bit different. I don’t know if
that had something to do with the weight. So, that’s something I took into consideration
coming into this season.”
(On what his goal weight is this year) “To break the sack record, be an All-Pro and win
Defensive Player of the Year.”
(On what weight he wants to be at coming into camp) “I want to be in a dominant mindset. I
don’t want to be 285. What do you all think?”
(On if 285 was the heaviest he’s ever been in his life) “Yes. Yes. Heaviest. And I felt it, too.
But I feel great. I ran 20 miles per hour the other day, so we can mark that up. I still got it.”
(On if that was his fastest speed) “In a long time (laughs). In a long time. But that was from
me chasing my kids. We still count it.”
(On if the defensive line collectively didn’t feel as effective last year due to upping their
weights) “I can’t really speak on everybody’s situation. I can only speak on mine. Mine was,
I can’t go into another season thinking about my weight. You know what I mean? That’s why
this year, coming back in that mindset and that weight class that I feel like I need to be, and
it’s dominant, it’s fast, can move. I don’t want to get off the field. That allows me to lose a
little weight, because I don’t want to get off the field. I want to do what’s best for my team. I
want to play at a high level each and every rep. Get out, get a squirt of water, and come
back in and play four or five plays if needed, full speed, and take over games. That’s my
mentality, that’s the mindset and that’s the goal at the end of the day.”
(On how quickly the team flushed last season defensively) “Next question.”
(On what it’s like having a defensive coordinator that’s so involved) “Definitely. Coach
Camp [Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile] has been awesome this whole time.
He’s never changed. I know everybody says the mentality, the personality, the person that
he is, he’s a lot. But it’s nice. Because you step into that meeting room, you’re going to
expect one thing. It’s not just screaming. It’s the passion, it’s the love. It’s the love of the
game that he has. Calais [former Jaguars DE Calais Campbell] always told me, man, if you
want to be great at something, you’ve got to love it, you’ve got to respect it. For me, he gives
off that. He respects the game. He loves it. He loves the team. He loves the players who are
playing for him. That can only give us trust and faith that if we go out there and give them
everything we’ve got, I would love to keep seeing that upbeat… When he’s calm, that’s
when it’s like, alright, somebody’s about to get cursed out. In a good way.”
(On how he felt wearing a guardian cap for one game last season) “Personally, I don’t think
I’ll wear it again, but I could see the uses of having it. So, the guys that are wearing it,
there’s no shade or no knock. I think if you wear it, you’re thinking about long-term stuff.
Kudos to them, and continue to wear it. I don’t want to say anything negative about it, but
personally, I probably won’t do it. It just felt a little… I mean, it’s not heavy, it’s just your
brain is telling you that it’s heavy, I think. I don’t want to think about something when I’m
already thinking about whooping the person in front of me, just like the weight thing. I don’t
want to think about going into the season my weight, my weight, my weight, because I’ve
got to think about that I’ve got to whoop this dude in front of me. So, it’s just one more thing
that I just don’t want to worry about.”
(On if he knew about Campanile in high school, given that Campanile coached high school
football in New Jersey) “No, I didn’t. But we [Montclair High School] would have for sure
whooped them if we would have played against them. I won’t bat an eye on that one. [Don]
Bosco, St. Peters, all of those private schools, we would have whooped them back in the
day. Post it. Tag it. Best public school in the nation.”
(On if it was important for him to be here this week, given that he usually trains away this
time of year) “I think I kind of spoke on that. I told myself going into next season last year, I
was going to be back in OTAs this year. And then when we hired Coach Liam [Coen], it was
that connection that I had with him, that [University of] Kentucky connection that I had with
him, to help him out. To be there for him, to be one of the guys he can trust and lean into
this season. And then I had a lot of Kentucky coaches calling me, Coach [Brad] White, who I
love dearly, who is the DC at Kentucky now, called me and was like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to
be there.’ That’s something I already had in the back of my mind of coming back and doing it
no matter who we would have had, because I’ve got big goals that I need to do. Again, it’s
all about adapting and figuring out what works. This year, I thought coming to OTAs would
be a good time for me, and it’s paying off pretty well.”
(On his confidence level that the defense can perform at a dominant level) “It starts right
now. Coach Camp has a saying, ‘Talk is cheap.’ We can talk about how good we’re going to
be, how great or legendary our defense or individual players can be, but it’s all about the
work that we put in every day. The communication that we have in the red zone, backed-up
situations, playing good situational football. Knowing what everybody has to do, being in
the right place. And it starts out here. If we can stack great days out here and keep doing it,
and then we put the pads on and we continue to be physical up front, linebackers flying
downhill, DBs staying in the backfield because we don’t need them because we’re stopping
the run up front… And we’ve got pass rushers that can rush. So, again, it’s just all about that
trust. We’ve got a good team, good players, and I’m excited to play for these boys.”
HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025
(On how the team has progressed through seven OTA practices) “Yeah, I think today was
probably the most balanced it’s been where the offense makes a play then the defense
comes back and makes a play. I thought it was a good competitive back-and-forth. Whereas
maybe in the days prior there has been the offense has a really good day and the defense not
as much or vice versa where the defense was ticked off, specifically myself. I thought today
was just a good balance of guys making plays and then coming back. Ok, who needs to make
a play? Who is going to stop the bleeding on each side when maybe the offense is making
more so I think that competitive balance has progressed over the last six or seven practices.
I just thought that today was probably a little bit cleaner. It wasn’t just a ton of dropped balls
but just some of the fundamentals were cleaned up a little bit today. Was it perfect? No, but
I think that’s an area where we progressed today.”
(On the offense and QB Trevor Lawrence’s performance in the red zone) “I think he’s actually
done a really nice job in the red zone. Looking back to the first time we did it last Friday, I think
he made some quick decisions. Everything is sped up in the red area. The timing, the rhythm,
the space – it’s all tighter. It’s all sped up. I think he has done a nice job with his footwork in
the red zone understanding that concept. Ultimately, good teams in the red zone are able to
run the football into the end zone. It’s hard to do that in this setting as a lot of it is geared
towards practicing the pass game, the timing, the rhythm, the protections – understanding
when zero blitz is coming versus drop eight, those are the things we are getting work at. I think
he has done a nice job executing in that area so far.”
(On if the rookie class is starting to settle in) “A little bit. You can definitely see where some
of those guys are working with the first group or even the second group. You see some of
those guys being thrust into some of these situations, whether it be because they earned
those reps or some injuries in the backend, those guys are having to take some quality reps
which has been great. Then they get a good developmental period going on right now where
they are going to get about 10-15 plays everyday after practice. You see those guys doing walk
throughs on their own. I go down to lift in the weight room and they are in the indoor walking
through. They’re are definitely trying to do the right things to help put them in a position to be
successful.”
(On how he thinks the offensive line is coming along) “I think they’ve done a really nice job
over the last three days in terms of the communication, what we’re asking them from a
fundamental and technique standpoint. It’s really hard to see the grit and the finish and
toughness fully on display in these settings because of the rules and regulations that we
have. We’re obviously trying to improve everyday as a unit – offensively, defensively and
special teams. I do think that group specifically has done a nice job, specifically over the last
few days.”
(On the rookie offensive lineman adjusting to the new system) “I think they’ve both done a
nice job. I’ll be honest, sometimes when you don’t notice OL as much, it’s typically because
they’re doing a good job. Specifically with Wyatt [OL Wyatt Milum] you just see some of the
length and size show up especially inside at guard. Playing a position a little bit foreign to him
based on last year’s production. Typically, when you don’t notice those guys up front it’s a
good thing.”
(On what stands out about LB Foye Oluokun) “He’s a pro’s pro. He is early to every meeting,
sitting down ready to go. Communicates out there at a really high level. He wants to
understand the intent behind each call. He asks phenomenal questions in the meeting room
settings, especially when the whole defense is in there. Some of the things that he brings up
really forces engagement within the whole group – the coaches, the players, different
position groups. I think he has a really nice way of communicating things that he may not
understand that maybe other people may not be understanding. He just kind of brings
collaborative communication together. He’s a pro’s pro.”
(On OL Anton Harrison’s absence) “Yeah, he just had a day off today. He wasn’t feeling too
well.”
(On what has stood out about WR/DB Travis Hunter’s defense) “Milo [Secondary Coach Ron
Milus] came up to me after practice and said, ‘can we have him more?’ That’s a good thing.
We were in the red area on Friday, he didn’t end up making any plays on the ball but just the
movement skills and some of the man coverages, the feel in zone you can definitely see how
natural it is for him. He is still learning, still growing. He is trying to learn the calls as much as
possible, but when you see him in the seven-on and team settings he does not look out of
place by any means.”
(On keeping your best players on the field as much as possible) “That’s the goal ultimately. It
is a fine balance of keeping guys fresh – you always hear the term waves of rushers – but
ultimately you want to have your best guys on the field as much as possible. Especially in
those money downs, whether it be on third downs, known passing situations and in the red
zone, right. I do think it is a balance but ultimately if they’re in the physical shape to able to
do it and play down in and down out consistently that will be really important for us. Those
guys are going to have to be in elite shape. They’ve done a great job of getting to that point
thus far and I think they are on track to do those things this fall.”
(On adjusting to having a holistic point of view as a head coach coming from an offensive
background) “I think last week it was actually a comical play in the red area in seven-on
where [WR] Dyami Brown makes a one-handed catch behind him like this. It seemed like he
came down with the play and I’m kind of going nuts. All of a sudden [CB] Jourdan Lewis
comes out with ball and starts running it down this way and I start running with him. Right in
that moment, I’m excited and pumped for the offense but then just innately switched to
being excited for the defense. Ultimately, it is a little bit of a challenge at times. Naturally, my
mind goes a little bit more to the offensive side if we don’t have a good day or if we don’t
complete a ball I am probably going to be a little more upset, but still learning still growing.”
(On what he has seen from RB Travis Etienne so far) “Everyday, everything we have asked him
to do he has done at a good click for us. The ability in the screen game, to hand him jet
sweeps, his vision so far in the run game’s been good. He’s done everything we’ve asked him
to do and more. There has been a consistency. Again, it is one of those things where he can
shine in ways in space. It’s really hard to see a runner in this setting. Are they going to get the
hard, physical, tough yards. Are they going to be able to stick their foot in the ground and get
those physical, violent yards that we’re going to need. That’s hard to really kind of grade at
this moment. He’s done a great job. I don’t really understand some of the stuff that I’ve seen
out there. That’s absolutely inaccurate.”
(On feedback from the players about today’s earlier practice time) “I think that early on you
set a schedule and then you have to always be fluid. If we are going to just sit here and say
we are going to bang our heads against the wall and do a long practice, what’s the point? The
goal is to get good quality work for them to walk off the field during OTAs feeling like they got
lathered up. They got a good workout in but not to just have them keeled over dying. That’s
not this phase. That’s not what this is about. Do we want to stress them physically and
mentally? Absolutely, but to me this is more of a mental, above the neck time to stress these
guys. So yeah, after the first couple we kind of peeled back a little bit and just kind of freshen
it up a little bit.”
(On having a leader like DE Josh Hines-Allen coming to OTAs despite them not being
mandatory) “It’s huge. It’s something that ultimately you want to be the standard for
everybody, right? For everybody to want to be here with what we have available to us with
this facility, with the training, with the strength and conditioning, with the nutrition. You
want guys to want to be here and not have to feel like they need to go elsewhere to get
quality work in for themselves. That’s been huge. It’s been huge to have him here,
especially with what he’s been going through personally with his family. For him to be here
as much as he has has been really, really instrumental for our defense and for our entire
team.”
(On what he makes of the competition in the defensive back room, specifically on the
outside) “They’ve got their hands on a lot of balls so far. Just having some more vision on
the quarterback in some of the zone coverages, and then, shoot, when we’ve been able to
play in man, it’s something that they’ve been doing for quite some time last year. So,
they’ve done a nice job in man. I think Tyson [CB Tyson Campbell] has done a nice job with
his hands and feet at the second and third levels. You saw Montaric [CB Montaric Brown]
make a nice play again today. He’s been steady and consistent. That whole group has done
a really good job. [CB] Jourdan Lewis, [CB] Jarrian Jones, that whole crew of guys. It’s been
competitive. It’s been a learning curve, obviously. When you’re used to playing so much
man, going back and playing a little bit of zone, as it sounds, could be a little bit challenging
based on where your eyes are and the discipline, things like that. I think they’ve done a nice
job, though, so far.”
(On if CB Jarrian Jones has still played primarily outside) “Yes. He goes inside a little bit, but
primarily outside. Be able to still get him some nickel reps. He’s eager. He’s eager to learn.
He and Jourdan Lewis walk around everywhere together. Saw them at church yesterday
together. So, it’s a good person for Jarrian to continue to learn from, and both of those guys
are doing a good job.”
(On how impressive WR Brian Thomas Jr. has been in person) “He’s got freakish talents.
He’s got some freakish traits. Just his attention to detail in the meeting room setting, being
able to answer questions, you see some of his personality come to life as well. But you see,
when we get into competitive situations, there’s definitely a little bit of an uptick. You get
the feedback from some of these guys, especially when it’s scripted, they’re just kind of,
like, again? Again? So, we start doing more call-it, and you start to see especially BT [WR
Brian Thomas Jr.] come to life. The ability for a big dude like him to be able to operate in the
slot, run some of the choice and option routes, but also be able to go vertical and catch the
ball down the field, he’s been a real pleasure to work with so far.”
