The Jacksonville Jaguars had a massive need at center in free agency, but instead of going after the big names at the position, such as Drew Dalman or Ryan Kelly, they rolled with Robert Hainsay. This made sense when you take into account that he played for head coach Liam Coen when he was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. That said, the signing came with a question mark.
The reason Hainsey was available to begin with was that he was benched in favor of then-rookie Graham Norton last year. The Jags didn't mind, though, and gave him a three-year deal worth $21 million to bring stability at center. He's done precisely that, and then some.
Jaguars C Robert Hainsey stepped up vs. the Chargers
Robert Hainsey was Pro Football Network's highest graded center in Week 11. He's 12th overall at the position for the season. Against the Chargers, the 2021 third-round selection didn't allow a single pressure or a sack. In nine games this season, he's given up just two sacks and 17 total pressures.
The top NFL centers in Week 11, according to PFSN's Player OL Impact Metric ⤵
86.1 | Ryan Neuzil, ATL
86.0 | Robert Hainsey, JAX
85.0 | Ted Karras, CIN
84.8 | John Michael Schmitz, NYG
84.4 | Graham Barton, TB
80.8 | Tyler Biadasz, WAS
79.9 | Zach Frazier, PIT
79.7 | Tyler… pic.twitter.com/7rr2asyept
— PFSN (@PFSN365) November 20, 2025
This is noteworthy because the Jacksonville offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage against Los Angeles but had struggled as a whole in previous weeks. Yet, Hainsey has routinely delivered and quickly developed into a mainstay.
Related:Unsung Jaguars veteran could become X-Factor vs. the Cardinals
Robert Hainsay gives the Jaguars much needed stability at center
Liam Coen is certainly pleased with Robert Hainsey's performance, pointing out that he's set the tone in the trenches with his physicality and aggressive mindset.
"I thought he played really well last week," Cone told the media head of the Cardinals game. "Especially, he's had some games where he's played at a really high level, and he's had some games, but his drop off like it's not, he's just so consistent, and then when he is freaking running around, who has the energy of buzzing around like on the pulling and playing physical and feisty, he's played really consistent for us all year, and just the leadership, obviously."
Coen continued, "And the ownership of not just the run game, but the protections, the continuity and chemistry in the room, you know, just the way that those guys have played kind of at a lot of times this year, at a high level for us. And, everybody you know, you looked at last night pretty, pretty darn good team, you know, at eight sacks. And, you know, I think our guys are battling their tails off up front and really doing a nice job, and it's led by him."
The darn good team Coen is referring to is the Houston Texans. Their defense logged eight sacks against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night. Circling back to Hainsey, below are Coen's remarks about the fifth-year center.
While the Jaguars will have to address several needs in the offseason, center won't be one of them because Robert Hainsey has been everything they bargained for and then some.