The Jacksonville Jaguars did a great job of protecting Trevor Lawrence and opening running lanes early in the season. However, the offensive line went through a rough stretch before bouncing back. One big reason for the unit's improved play in recent weeks has been the increased role Cole Van Lanen has gotten.
After lining up at both guard spots and right tackle, Van Lanen has played left guard the past three weeks. His play has most definitely turned heads across the league, and a former teammate of his just outlined how special he truly is.
Former Jaguars center Mitch Morse says Cole Van Lanen is a unicorn
Following the 48-20 win over the NY Jets, Mitch Morse took to Twitter to heap praise on Cole Van Lanen, pointing out that his former teammate gets the job done regardless of where he lines up in the trenches. Here's the skinny:
"I hope people are appreciating what @colevanlanen5 has been doing this season... the man does it all! LG/RT/RG/LT, doesn't matter!" Morse wrote. "You my friend, are a Unicorn!"
Morse, a second-round pick in 2015, played four seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs before signing with the Buffalo Bills in 2019. He signed a two-year deal with the Jags in 2024 but hung up the cleats after the season ended.
Given that Morse watched Van Lanen play firsthand, he knows how talented he is. Then again, it wasn't until the new regime took over that he really took off. This season, the former Wisconsin Badger has played a career-high 437 offensive snaps while giving up just one sack and 11 total pressures. His Pro Football Focus overall grade of 437 yards is also a career best.
Everyone is noticing that the Jaguars are getting high-end play from Cole Van Lanen
Mitch Morse hasn't been the only one outside the Jaguars HQ who's taken notice of Cole Van Lanen's play. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports also noted after the win over the Jets that he's been Jacksonville's best offensive lineman the past two weeks.
And that's the thing. Even though Van Lanen has played all positions up front but center, it looks like he's settled at left tackle. Since subbing in for Walker Little in Week 13, he's posted PFF grades of 77.00 or higher three games in a row.
Head coach Liam Coen, for his part, is pleased with Van Lanen's performance, noting that the fourth-year hog molly has done an admirable job of playing different positions.
"Cole, we've seen him step into many roles, right and be able to fill those admirably. And last week was no different," Coen told the media ahead of Week 16. "The whole group protected their tails off, and we're kind of cleaning the pocket physically and violently. Great test for us this week, as you guys know, and hopefully we'll be able to go run the ball a little bit better."
As noted before, the Jags plugged Van Lanen in Week 13 when Walker Little suffered a concussion. He's since cleared protocol but may not get his job back based on how well Van Lanen is playing. Below is Coen's full exchange with the local media. His remarks about Van Lanen start at the 10:18 mark.
You could make the case that Cole Van Lanen is breaking out at the perfect time. He's slated to hit the open market in 2026, so the better he performs the rest of the way, the better his offers will get. He'll most definitely give the Jaguars an impossible decision next offseason. However, that's a bridge they'll cross in due time. For the time being, they must keep him at left tackle as long as he keeps playing at a high level.