Early in the offseason, Walker Little was the subject of trade speculation. But despite the noise, the Jacksonville Jaguars are holding onto the sixth-year left tackle, and understandably so.
The demand for left tackles in the NFL outweighs the supply, so the Jags could get a solid return in exchange for Little. Then again, he could also come in handy while Cole Van Lanen recovers from a knee injury that's sidelined him since the end of 2025.
Nevertheless, an NFL analyst thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers should reach out to Jacksonville and inquire about Little.
The Jaguars are being urged to trade Walker Little to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report drew up a list of players each NFL should consider trading before the regular season. He suggested the Jaguars ship Walker Little to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a third-round pick. Here's the reasoning for the pitch.
"The Steelers have options at left tackle while Broderick Jones recovers from a neck injury. They can slide right tackle Troy Fautanu to the left side, as the team did during the spring, or attempt to fast-track rookie first-rounder Max Iheanachor's ascension into a starting role," Moton wrote. "General manager Omar Khan should consider a third option: trading for Little, who lost the Jaguars' starting left tackle position to Cole Van Lanen last season."
Moton continued, "Little has 39 career starts in five campaigns. He could man the Steelers' vacant offensive tackle spot until Iheanachor is ready to take the field."
A second-round pick in 2021, Little was stuck behind Cam Robinson early in his stint with the Jaguars. Nevertheless, the flashed potential, even lining up at left guard at times. Jacksonville cleared the path for him when Robinson was traded to the Minnesota Vikings at the midpoint of 2024. Not long after, then-general manager Trent Baalke gave him a three-year deal worth $40.5 million.
At the time, extending Little seemed like a solid move, but he struggled in 2025 and was eventually benched in favor of Cole Van Lanen. However, the former Stanford Cardinal got his job back when Cole Van Lanen sustained a season-ending injury late in 2025.
Van Lanen continues to recover from said injury, which may be why the Jags have kept Little around even though teams in need of help at left tackle may be interested in trading for him.
Why the Jaguars are better off keeping Walker Little in 2026
Head coach Liam Coen has talked at length about how injuries quickly depleted the offensive line during his stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Understandably, he wants to avoid going through a similar situation with the Jaguars.
If the Jags were to trade Walker Little, they would probably have to plug in Wyatt Milum at left tackle, and it looks like he's settled at left guard. Maybe left guard Ezra Cleveland could move to the edge, as he's done before, but it wouldn't be optimal.
You could make the case that trading Little would free up nearly $12 million in space, but that's probably a price Jacksonville is willing to pay in case Cole Van Lanen misses time in 2026.
Speaking of, Van Lanen is expected to return at some point of training camp, but if he isn't at full strength, there's no point in rushing him back to the field when Little can hold the fort for a few weeks. Sure, he's coming off a season in which he gave up a team-worst nine sacks, but he played much better in prior years, so he could most definitely bounce back next season.
It's also worth noting that the Jags aren't hurting for extra draft picks. They got three compensatory ones in 2027 after their free-agent losses this year.
Maybe if a viable backup for Cole Van Lanen emerges next season, the Jaguars should revisit the possibility of trading Walker Little. After all, they could use that mid-round pick. Until then, they're better off holding onto him.
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