Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line ranked 19th by Pro Football Focus
By Daniel Lago
The Jacksonville Jaguars had arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL in 2014, a fact made worse when you consider they were tasked with protecting then rookie quarterback Blake Bortles.
After giving up a league-leading 71 sacks 2 years ago, general manager David Caldwell made it a priority to find new bodies for the offensive line in 2015. Jermey Parnell was the biggest acquisition as the Jaguars had perhaps the worst right tackle play in the history of the league the year before. Stefen Wisniewski was added late in the offseason to compete for the center spot, and A.J. Cann was drafted in the third round to bulk up the interior of the line.
All of that added up to an improved offensive line, but issues remain.
Pro Football Focus agrees and they ranked the Jacksonville offensive line 19th after 2015:
"19. Jacksonville Jaguars (18th)Pass-blocking rank: 19thRun-blocking rank: 22ndPenalties rank: 1stStud: Former Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski came in and did a good, if not great, job.Dud: With each passing year, the bust tag on Luke Joeckel is getting harder to shake. There are worse tackles, but for a guy with so much invested in, it really isn’t paying off.Summary: The Jaguars have tried to improve their line, but the amount spent compared to what they got in return doesn’t add up. Zane Beadles has been a constant disappointment, and while Jermey Parnell wasn’t terrible, he didn’t bring the level of play his contract suggested he would. That seems to sum the Jaguars up."
Pro Football Focus assigns grades to each player for every play of every game, but some people (Tony Boselli) find their grades for offensive lineman to be flawed. I might have to agree if PFF thinks Wisniewski was the “stud” of the group. While he wasn’t an outright disaster, he’s almost assuredly going to be replaced next season by either a new acquisition or someone else on the roster (Luke Bowanko, Tyler Shatley).
We’ve talked plenty about Luke Joeckel on B&T, particularly after his disastrous week 17 game against J.J. Watt, but he’s definitely going to be back. The last game aside, Joeckel provided adequate play at tackle and wasn’t really a liability. That moniker belongs to Zane Beadles.
With Brandon Linder returning to the lineup and A.J. Cann presumably improving in year 2, the Jaguars offensive line should take another step forward in 2016.