Larry Warford reportedly will be available, Jaguars should pursue
By Daniel Lago
The Jacksonville Jaguars need help along the offensive line and free agent guard Larry Warford would be a good fit.
The Jacksonville Jaguars once again will have a significant amount of salary cap room to work with this offseason. While last year appeared to be their “all-in” season, the overall results and the dismissal of head coach Gus Bradley signals an increase in pressure for new head coach Doug Marrone and his staff.
The onus is once again on general manager David Caldwell to add impact players this offseason, but he now has to report to Jacksonville Jaguars legend Tom Coughlin, the new executive vice president of football operations. One thing Coughlin will almost certainly emphasize is strengthening the offensive line. Luckily for the Jaguars, there could be a handful of attractive free agents available along the offensive line.
One of those guys is Detroit Lions guard Larry Warford:
Talked w/ 2 people employed by other NFL teams who both believe the Lions are not bringing back Larry Warford. Both teams will have interest
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) January 25, 2017
Warford graded out as the 21st best guard in the league according to Pro Football Focus in 2016, and he’s graded out average to excellent in all of his seasons (86.1, 79.6, 73.6, and 81.5 over his first 4 years). To contrast, the Jaguars didn’t have a guard finish with a grade higher than 77, and that was Patrick Ommameh who only lined up for 454 snaps.
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The Jaguars have a direct need at left guard and perhaps right guard considering the lack of progression of A.J. Cann. Regardless of whether or not they are high on Cann, the Jaguars need at least one starter and depth along the line.
Among the impending free agent guards, Warford seems the most likely to hit the market at this point. Kevin Zeitler will probably be re-signed by the Bengals and T.J. Lang could also go back to Green Bay. Both are also a little older than Warford (he’s 26 while Zeitler and Lang are 27 and 29 respectively).
Signing Warford would give the Jaguars more flexibility in a draft that appears to be lacking in high-level offensive line prospects.