Tyson Alualu excited about changing positions to DE

Tyson Alualu was originally drafted by the Jaguars in 2010 10th overall and has played defensive tackle his first three years in the NFL.

By Alfie Crow@AlfieBCC May 15, 2013, 2:12pm EDT

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be installing a brand new defense under head coach Gus Bradley, one that is nearly identical to the defense he ran with the Seattle Seahawks. To fit in that defense, the Jaguars have decided that Tyson Alualu's best role is at the strong side defensive end position, or the five-technique, rather than defensive tackle.

Previously, Alualu had been playing the three-technique on the interior of the defensive line. The expectation was for him to be able to rush the passer and disrupt the backfield from the inside, but that never seemed to materialize.

"We just felt like in the D-line he had the most ability to play multiple positions, to give us the different looks that we want to get. So we're trying him out there, and we feel it's a good fit," Gus Bradley told the media about the position switch. "He's all in favor of it, feels like it's a better fit for him and allows us to get (Sen'Derrick Marks) on the field, too."

With the Seahawks, Bradley had a similar player in Red Bryant, that the team moved to the strong side end role and he fit in nicely. The position is similar to that of a 3-4 defensive end, where the player is responsible for "two-gapping", which is playing both the inside and outside of the right tackle on the offensive line.

This is a move some have expected Alualu to make under Gus Bradley and he noted to reporters after practice that he's excited about the position switch. It should be familiar to Alualu, as it's similar to the position he played in college at Cal.

Also, Russell Allen got jokes:

Corrected for @russellallen50: Jaguars DE Alualu playing 6 technique on strong side (head up over TE) and 4B on weak side (head up over OT)
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) May 15, 2013