Jaguars quietly avoided an O-Line disaster before the preseason finale

Just a couple weeks ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were dealing with an unexpected number of injuries on the offensive line. However, they're getting substantially healthier just before the preseason finale, and the situation doesn't look nearly as bleak.

John Shipley of Sports Illustrated attended Day 17 of Jaguars training camp. He reported that Anton Harrison (left tackle), Emmanuel Pregnon (left guard), Robert Hainsay (center), Ezra Cleveland (right guard), and Walker Little were the starting offensive line. The backup unit was composed of Ricky Lee (LT), Daniel Faalele (LG), Jonah Monheim (C), Wyatt Milum (RG), and Chuma Edoga (RT).

If the Jags keep 10 offensive linemen next season, all of the hog mollies listed before will make the cut. But if they keep only nine, someone from the second team won't make the cut, probably Lee. Either way, the Jacksonville offensive line looks in much better shape than it did early in August. Couple that with the eventual return of Cole Van Lanen, and the group no longer appears to be a concern.

The Jaguars are suddenly getting healthier on the O-Line

Around the same time the Jaguars faced off against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 of the preseason, Mike Clay of ESPN ranked all 32 starting offensive lines across the league. Jacksonville got the 23rd spot. While it's not outright bad, it's not great either.

However, the Jags will look much better once Cole Van Lanen is back in the fold. He's currently recovering from a knee injury he sustained late in 2025. The former Wisconsin Badger took a massive step in the right direction when he was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Once Van Lanen returns, Walker Little will step into a backup role. For the time being, Anton Harrison, arguably the team's best lineman, will move to left tackle full-time, the position he mostly played at Oklahoma. Similarly, Ezra Cleveland will switch to right guard after playing on the left side the past two years. This isn't a bad thing when you consider that Cleveland played right guard for the Minnesota Vikings before he was traded to Duval in 2023, so he should be alright.

The last change the offensive trenches underwent was Emmanuel Pregnon tentatively starting at left guard. The plan was for Patrick Mekari to start at right guard for the second year in a row, but he missed the offseason program and training camp. More recently, he underwent surgery that puts his availability for the start of the season in full question.

It's fair to say that as long as Mekari is out, he won't be part of the team's plans. But even without him, the offensive line looks in great shape.

The Jaguars O-Line may not be a strength (but it's not a weakness either)

The Jaguars were sneaky good in pass protection and run blocking in 2025, ranking ninth and sixth among all 32 teams. There's no reason to think there will be a drop-off, so their current offensive line should be able to keep Trevon Lawrence upright and open lanes in the running game.

On the other hand, there's a chance the O-Line will be a bit better with Anton Harrison switching to left tackle and once Cole Van Lanen returns to injury.

But even if the Jaguars offensive line doesn't rank in the top half of the league, the fact that they're at last healthy after their avoiding catastrophe is a positive development.

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