The Jacksonville Jaguars made several changes to the offensive line in the offseason. But surprisingly, they kept Ezra Cleveland at left guard despite the fact that he was unremarkable the year prior. The decision has paid off, as the former Boise State Bronco has gone on to have his best season with the Jags.
Cleveland was outright dominant in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers: That's why it wasn't particularly shocking to see head coach Liam Coen heaped praise on the veteran offensive lineman.
The Jaguars were thrilled to have Ezra Cleveland back vs. the Chargers
One day after dismantling Los Angeles, Liam Coen gave Ezra Cleveland his flowers, pointing out that he's set the tone in the trenches with his mean streak.
"Yeah, really proud of Ezra. We needed him, we responded," Coen told the media when asked how he feels about Cleveland's play (6:46). "He's violent. He wants to play. He's explosive. He's one of our most explosive players on the team. He showed that in the offseason workouts. You know, Ezra wants to play with a mean streak and kind of beats you in a phone booth, and he has the opportunity to do that."
Coen continued, He can beat you at the second level, and he had some great finishes on some runs down the field, especially late in that game, on the last drive where he's finishing guys about five, seven yards down the field. So needed him, he stepped up in a big way, and we're going to continue to need that moving forward from Ezra."
With Cleveland sitting out the loss to the Houston Texans, Cole Van Lanen made the start at left guard in that game, but there was somewhat of a drop-off. With him back in the lineup, the Jacksonville offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage against the Chargers, giving up just four total pressures and no sacks. Cleveland, in particular, didn't allow a sack or pressure.
Cleveland spent three years with the Minnesota Vikings before being traded to the Jags in the middle of the 2023 season. However, injuries prevented him from making a big impact. Nevertheless, that didn't stop former general manager Trent Baalke from giving him a three-year extension in 2024.
The issue with the decision was that Cleveland was underwhelming last year, but the deal looks much better in light of his improved play.
The Jaguars are pleased with Ezra Cleveland at left guard
Of course, Liam Coen is going to be biased because he coaches Ezra Cleveland, but Pro Football Network also acknowledged his performance against the Chargers, ranking him as the top guard in the NFL with a 94.2 grade in Week 11.
All things considered, you could make the case that Cleveland has exceeded expectations. There was chatter in the offseason that he could lose his job to rookie Wyatt Milum, but he's not been a threat because of how Cleveland improved compared to last year.
Maybe Ezra Cleveland will need to fend off Wyatt Milum in 2026. But for the time being, he gives the Jaguars a dependable option at left guard.