Jacksonville Jaguars Left Tackle Eugene Monroe Traded to Baltimore Ravens

David Caldwell and the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to push all the chips into the center of the table for the first overall pick Tuesday night when they traded starting left tackle Eugene Monroe to the Baltimore Ravens.

The move is somewhat surprising since there really wasn’t anything explicitly hinting to it, but it makes a lot of sense. The initial (or at least public) sentiment in drafting Luke Joeckel to play right tackle was to see if Blaine Gabbert could perform with adequate protection. The interior offensive line hasn’t held up to that side of the bargain, but it’s become increasingly clear that Gabbert’s career in Jacksonville is done after this season.

Couple the poor quarterback play with Monroe’s impending free agency and you have the makings of a valuable trade chip. Eugene Monroe has been arguably a top ten left tackle over the past few years and he’d likely be getting more attention on a better team. The Jaguars drafted his replacement in Luke Joeckel and now they acquired multiple draft picks instead of letting him walk for nothing.

This deal works great for both sides – Joe Flacco needs good protection in the offense he plays and David Caldwell gets more draft picks to build the team he wants.

Besides, we were going to suck with Monroe anyway. This doesn’t change the outlook of this team in 2013. The Jaguars are still on track for the top pick in the 2014 draft.

Sep 7, 2013; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) looks to pass against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels during the second half of play at Papa John

Duval bound.

– Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89