RT Jawaan Taylor focused on helping Jaguars win, not individual stats

There have several Jacksonville Jaguars players that have bounced back after having a down year in 2021. Outside linebacker Josh Allen might be the most prominent one but right tackle Jawaan Taylor has low-key had a solid season.

A second-round pick in the 2019 draft, Taylor flashed as a rookie but struggled the last two years. In that span, he allowed 14 sacks and 92 total pressures. Moreover, he racked up a staggering 34 penalties over the previous three years.

However, Taylor has improved immensely in 2022 and hasn’t allowed a single pressure nor committed a penalty. In fact, he’s the only offensive tackle who’s played 50 snaps or more in the whole league that has done so. This is more impressive when you take into account that the former Florida Gator was at risk of losing his spot in the starting lineup and had to fend off fellow offensive tackle Walker Little in the offseason to keep it.

Taylor met with the local media ahead of Week 3. When his performance over the last two weeks was brought up, he just said, via Mia O’Brien of 1010 XL, that he wants to “keep going, keep working, keep getting better every week, and just help my team win games”. The right tackle then noted that “his whole thing is just being consistent” and the work he put in the offseason has paid off. Here’s the whole exchange in case you want to give it a look.

Jaguars RT Jawaan Taylor will have a tough against the Chargers in Week 3

During his exchange with O’Brien, Taylor praised all levels of the Chargers’ defense, “it runs through Derwin [James], J.C. Jackson, and the two guys upfront but they have great players all over the field”.

The two guys Taylor is referring two are probably edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, who have logged a combined five sacks this season. While Bosa has been a mainstay of the Bolts’ defense since being drafted in 2016, it was hard to tell what kind of impact Khalil Mack was going to have after landing in Los Angeles earlier this year. So far, the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year has not disappointed.

The Jaguars allowed 21 pressures in the season opener but only three (and no sacks) against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. If they want to have a shot at beating the Chargers at their home stadium, they’ll need to keep Trevor Lawrence’s jersey clean once gain.

Taylor is set to become a free agent in 2023 and a solid performance against Los Angeles’ defensive line will strengthen his case to get a top-market contract.