Ideally, NFL teams will stay healthy throughout the offseason, but they must be prepared in case the injury bug strikes. Such is the case of the Jacksonville Jaguars and offensive guard Patrick Mekari.
An undrafted free agent in 2019, Mekari spent six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before joining the Jags on a three-year, $37.5 million deal. He was the team's biggest acquisition in free agency, so the coaching staff would surely want to see him take the field. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.
Back on Day 3 of training camp, Mekari left with back spasms and has yet to return. That said, head coach Liam Coen says that the veteran guard isn't dealing with anything serious and will eventually return.
In the meantime, John Shipley of Sports Illustrated reports that free-agent acquisition Chuma Edoga has filled in for Mekari at guard. This is understandable when you take into account that the former USC Trojan has lined up both inside and outside throughout his NFL career.
A third-round pick by the New York Jets in 2019, Edoga was shown the door in 2022 and latched onto the Atlanta Falcons that year. He spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and landed in Jacksonville in free agency.
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Chuma Edoga must take advantage of his chances if he wants to stick around with Jaguars
Earlier in the offseason, it looked like Chuma Edoga could be a victim of the numbers game. After all, the Jacksonville Jaguars have several options at guard. Aside from bringing in Patrick Mekari in free agency, they drafted Wyatt Milum and also had Ezra Cleveland. Things didn't look much better for him at offensive tackle.
Walker Little and Anton Harrison should start for Jacksonville at offensive tackle. Behind them are Fred Johnson and Cole Van Lanen. When you add all the team's offensive linemen up, there doesn't appear to be room for Edoga. However, it looks like he just got a landline, with Mekari missing time.
On the other hand, Mekari will return at some point, so Edoga isn't just a lock to make the team. The fact that he has the versatility to play guard and tackle helps him a bit, but for him to increase his odds, he'll need to take advantage of all the work he's getting in order to give the Jags a tough decision.
Ultimately, nobody likes to see players get hurt, but that is an inherent part of a collision sport such as football. The silver lining is that it presents an opportunity for the next man up to shine, and in Chuma Edoga's case, he cannot put his chance to waste.