One of the biggest weaknesses the Jacksonville Jaguars had in past years was the offensive line. They couldn't give Trevor Lawrence enough time to throw or open lanes in the running game. The new regime made a strong effort to change that in the offseason, and Andrew Ites of Pro Football Focus has praised them for the work they've put in.
Ites drew up a list of the most improved NFL offensive lines and included the Jags, citing the addition of Patrick Mekari and Robert Hainsay in free agency as the reason.
"The Jaguars joined this group of big spenders along the offensive line by giving significant contracts to Patrick Mekari and Robert Hainsey this offseason. Mekari had a very solid six-year run with the Baltimore Ravens, but he is coming off the worst year of his career (59.0 PFF overall grade in 2024). Jacksonville is betting that the 27-year-old Mekari can return to form and solidify the interior offensive line for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
After putting together a decent season in 2022, Hainsey really struggled in Tampa Bay in 2023 and was relegated to the bench last year for a Buccaneers team that had one of the best offensive lines in the league. After giving him a three-year, $21 million contract, the Jaguars are likely expecting Hainsey to return to the starting lineup this season."
Ites goes on to say that the injection of talent up front will allow the offense to reach its full potential.
Mekari was Jacksonville's biggest acquisition in free agency. The front office gave him a three-year deal worth $37 million to replace veteran Brandon Scherff at right guard. One reason the Westlake Village, California native is coming off a perceived down season is that he's played all positions up front throughout his career and didn't settle at one until 2024. That said, the team's brass is bullish on him.
On the other hand, Robert Hainsay will fill in for Mitch Morse, who announced his retirement before free agency. As Ite noted, the former Notre Dame Irish was benched in favor of 2024 first-round pick Graham Norton but remained unfazed and fared well when called upon.
Aside from Mekari and Hainsey, the Jags brought in Fred Johnson and Chuma Edoga to provide depth. On top of that, they re-signed swing tackle Cole Van Lalen. But wait, there's more. After adding talent and depth in free agency, Jacksonville added Wyatt Milum and Jonah Monheim in the draft. The former could compete with incumbent Ezra Cleveland for the left guard spot, and the latter has the potential to be the primary backup at center.
One look at all the additions the Jaguars made to the offensive trenches explains why they made the cut on PFF's list. The other teams that popped up were the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings, the New England Patriots, and the Washington Commanders.
The Jaguars are making the Offensive line the point of emphasis
When the Jacksonville Jaguars were interviewing Liam Coen for their head coaching vacancy, he made it clear that they needed to revamp the trenches if they wanted to turn things around. That's why it's not particularly surprising to see them make such a heavy investment in the offensive line in the offseason. Now, the Jags have two new starters (and could have a third one) up front.
Back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Coen pounded the football at will, and Baker Mayfield had a career year because the offensive line did its job. With an improved group in Jacksonville, he will have no trouble running his scheme and getting the most out of Trevor Lawrence.
Even during his best stretches, Lawrence has never truly had good protection. Same for Travis Etienne. He posted back-to-back 1,000 seasons running behind a porous offensive line. Sure, his performance suffered a dip last year, but it didn't help that the cracks were too many to overcome. If he stays in 2025, he and the rest of the Jacksonville backfield will reap the rewards of an improved blocking upfront.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are flying under the radar, and understandably so. But if they improve in 2025, it will be partly because all the changes they made to the offensive line paid off.
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