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Jacksonville Jaguars: Has O-Line been overlooked?

By Luke Sims

Oct 18, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Luke Joeckel (76) blocks against Houston Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (59) during the second half of a football game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Luke Joeckel (76) blocks against Houston Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (59) during the second half of a football game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Jacksonville Jaguars have been working on revamping the defense, but has the offensive line been overlooked as a result?

Building a winning team isn’t easy and the Jacksonville Jaguars know that better than most franchises.

After struggling to compete because of an abysmal defense over the last three seasons, the Jags put the money up to finally revamp that side of the football. On paper, things look good and now they need to execute.

But what about the offense?

Just before the 2015 season the offense was a primary concern for the Jags (wasn’t everything?). It was a pleasant surprise to see Blake Bortles, Allen Hurns, Allen Robinson, and T.J. Yeldon leap forward to be far more productive than anticipated. Is that enough for Jags fans to hang their hats on, though? Can more progress really be expected?

Gregg Rosenthal at NFL.com argues that the biggest weak spot for the Jaguars is at offensive line, throwing a bit of a reality check in the face of the optimism surrounding the franchise.

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With an addition like tackle Kelvin Beachum, shifting Brandon Linder to center, and another year of growth for guard A.J. Cann and right tackle Jermey Parnell, it’s difficult to think that the Jags will truly struggle. And yet a reality check is a wise move.

The Jags haven’t been dominant on the offensive line in years. They aren’t a top run blocking team, a top pass blocking team (Blake Bortles has led the league as the most sacked QB two years in a row), and the offensive line doesn’t set the tone. Yeldon’s running last year was in spite of the offensive line, not because of it.

If the Jags want to get serious about getting better, they need to make sure the offensive line just works. No other unit in football is as reliant on trust and supporting each other than the O-Line and even mediocre players can sometimes rise to the occasion together, as a group.

Right now, everything seems to be going fine. The Jags seem well positioned to be successful overall and on the offensive line, but they will need to take steps forward to prove it. A lot of the Jags’ future hangs on whether they can keep progressing forward.

Personally, I think they can. But it would still be nice to see them make further, more noticeable strides to put the past behind them.

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