3 potential replacements for Jaguars C Brandon Linder if he retires

No. 2 player who can replace Jaguars C Brandon Linder – JC Tretter.

The Cleveland Browns were determined to acquire quarterback Deshaun Watson and ultimately outbid the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers, and the New Orleans Saints for his services. However, that’s not the only meaningful transition they’ve made over the last few days.

Although it didn’t garner much attention as the Deshaun Watson trade, the Browns also released long-time center JC. Tretter. The move made sense financially, given that they got more than $8 million in cap space with less than $2 million in dead money. Even though he no longer had a future in Cleveland, he should have plenty of demand for his services even though the first wave of free agency has already come and gone. In fact, the Minnesota Vikings are reportedly interested in his services and could be in play for him.

At this moment, it doesn’t look like the Jaguars will pursue Tretter but they should revisit their position consider signing him. A fourth-round selection in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Cornell product has started 80 games over the last five seasons and has posted Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking grades of 80.0 or higher in that span. Last season, he allowed just one sack, one hit, and 10 total pressures on 587 pass-blocking snaps. The Jaguars would certainly like to have that kind of performance at center.

Jacksonville currently has around $14 million in cap space and although they would need to get creative, they should have no trouble making Tretter a competitive offer.