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Did the Jacksonville Jaguars improve at linebacker in 2013?

USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars starting linebacker group should be close to the same as it was in 2012, but the major difference is the depth behind the starting three will be virtually completely different. The two three-down linebackers should still be Paul Posluszny and Russell Allen, but the third linebacker is still up in the air.

2012 Linebackers Paul Posluszny, Daryl Smith, Russell Allen, Greg Jones, Brandon Marshall, Kyle Bosworth, Julian Stanford
2013 Linebackers Paul Posluszny, Russell Allen, Geno Hayes, Julian Stanford, Brandon Marshall, Maalik Bomar, LaRoy Reynolds, Jermiah Green, Mike Zimmer

The biggest difference between the two seasons is veteran Daryl Smith is completely unavailable. Last season there was still the hope that Smith could return to the lineup when he was healthy, but having signed with the Baltimore Ravens that's out the window. It's more likely that free agent signing Geno Hayes will be in the lineup on Sunday's instead, which is a downgrade from Smith.

Advantage: The 2012 squad. The sheer fact that Daryl Smith isn't even an option makes the 2013 group worse, but that doesn't mean their play won't be better than the 2012 group. In 2012 Kyle Bosworth got a lot of playing time and he wasn't very good at all, being pushed out late in the season by the more athletic Julian Stanford.

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