Just a few days before the Jacksonville Jaguars play the New Orleans Saints in the preseason opener, they dropped their first unofficial depth chart of the year. While there were no shocking revelations, a few things did stand out. For instance, Patrick Mekari is still listed as the starting right guard despite the fact that he's missed a good chunk of the preseason.
Sure, many things could change from now to the start of the regular season, but the depth chart shows that the Jags are still high on Mekari in spite of the hurdles he's faced since landing in Duval last year.
The Jaguars list Patrick Mekari as the starting right guard
With Patrick Mekari nursing a back injury, sophomore Wyatt Milum, Jonah Monheim, and Walker Little have split reps at right guard. However, Little has missed a few practices (he was riding a bike on Day 11) and is listed as the starting right guard on the first depth chart.
This may be a sign that either Milum hasn't done enough to size the right guard job, or Mekari will remain the starter once he's back in the fold. When asked about his status early in training camp, head coach Liam Coen stated that the coaching staff is trying to be smart with Mekari.
Now, it's hard to tell when Mekari will return, but if he's the starting right guard, that means Jacksonville is confident he can bounce back from an underwhelming 2025 campaign.
Mekari signed a three-year deal worth $37.5 million in 2025. He played left guard for the Baltimore Ravens the season prior, but the expectation was that he was going to have trouble making the switch to the right side. He did. The former California Golden Bear gave up 34 total pressures and two sacks. On top of that, he posted an underwhelming Pro Football Focus run grade of 53.9.
A back injury played a role in Mekari's less-than-stellar performance, and he's had trouble staying healthy. That's led to questions about whether he could tumble down the depth chart.
The Jaguars have options beyond Patrick Mekari at right guard
The Jaguars are dealing with a series of injuries on the offensive line before they face New Orleans in Week 1 of the preseason. Aside from Walker Little and Patrick Mekari, Jacksonville is without Cole Van Lanen and Emmanuel Pregnon.
With Anton Harrison trending toward starting at left tackle, the Jags have options at right guard. Patrick Mekari was last year's starter, but sophomore Wyatt Milum has been filling in for him during training camp. Walker Little has also gotten reps at right guard, but could end up starting at right tackle if Cole Van Lanen isn't ready for the opener.
Van Lanen has also played right guard, so he could be an option if Little starts at right tackle and Milum isn't ready. The only issue is that the Jags will need to wait for everyone to be healthy to truly sort things out.
The truth is that the unofficial depth chart is akin to a rough draft. You have more or less an idea of how things will look, but you could make tweaks if needed. For the time being, Patrick Mekari remains at right guard, but things are fluid, so don't be shocked if there are changes in the upcoming weeks.
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