Jaguars post-free agency position review: What's the need at offensive line?
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With NFL free agency at a near standstill, we will be evaluating the current state of each Jacksonville Jaguars' position group, specifically, where things stand and whether or not more moves need to be made.
Compared to the rest of the league, it's been a very quiet free agency period for the Jaguars. GM James Gladstone recently explained the reason behind that, and it has to do with the 2027 compensatory draft picks the Jaguars are projected to land. I would also guess that the Jaguars' tight salary cap situation isn't helping things either in that regard.
So the best avenue for addressing their remaining needs likely comes in the NFL draft, where the Jaguars have 11 picks -- including four in the top 100 -- and flexibility, allowing the board to dictate which direction they go at each selection.
Up next in our review is the offensive line. If you missed our other positional reviews, you can find them below.
Jaguars' offensive linemen under contract after free agency
- Ezra Cleveland
- Chuma Edoga
- Robert Hainsey
- Anton Harrison
- Cooper Hodges
- Walker Little
- Patrick Mekari
- Cole Van Lanen
- Wyatt Milum
- Jonah Monheim
- Ricky Lee
- Jerome Carvin
- Sal Wormley
- Killian Zierer
Jaguars' free agency moves along the offensive line
No departures or additions took place for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
What is the need along the offensive line for the Jaguars after free agency?
The Jaguars will enter the offseason positioned well on the offensive line. Their starting five from last season is all still under contract, along with a few of their first options off the bench.
However, that doesn't mean we won't see GM James Gladstone add to this unit either in the NFL draft -- especially with 11 selections. For one, even with the success the offense had down the stretch, the Jaguars' offensive line really struggled during the second half of the season to carve out running lanes.
As we look for ways that Jacksonville can take a step forward in Year 2 under Liam Coen, a more consistent running game would go a long way.
In addition to that, the draft is about planning ahead, and looking ahead to 2027, there could be turnover within this position group. Jacksonville could move on at that point from Little, Mekari, and/or Hainsey by getting out of their contracts with a good amount of salary cap savings, while Edoga will be a free agent.
During last year's training camp, the Jaguars stressed competition along the offensive line. There's no reason to think they won't take that same approach again this year.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL free agency: Evaluating current state of Jaguars offensive line
