The Jacksonville Jaguars made a substantial effort to beef up the offense last year, signing Robert Hainsey and Patrick Mekari in free agency to start at center and right guard, respectively. They then added further reinforcements in the draft when they picked Wyatt Milum and Jonah Monheim.
But despite all the resources the Jags poured at the line of scrimmage, they still struggled to protect Trevor Lawrence at times and open lanes for the running game in 2025. Not surprisingly, Jacksonville was blasted in a recent offensive line rankings.
The Jaguars were ranked 25th in offensive line efficiency
Mike Clay of ESPN put together a list of every NFL team's projected starting offensive line for 2026, and had the Jaguars at No. 25, with left guard Ezra Cleveland and right guard Anton Harrison being their only hog mollies with a positive score.
Current 2026 NFL Offensive Line projected starters: pic.twitter.com/oGq7k4anGY
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) May 12, 2026
The good news is that this ranking could be deceiving because Jacksonville ranked ninth in Pass Block Win Rate and 73 percent in Run Block Win Rate in 2025. When you add it all up, the Jags weren't nearly as bad up front. Moreover, the Jags could make significant tweaks in the offensive line next season.
This will be key if the Jaguars really want to run the ball better, something Liam Coen has stated he wants, which is understandable when you consider that the Jags ranked 27th in yards per carry last year.
Why the Jaguars offensive line can show substantial improvement next season
Wyatt Milum, a third-round pick in 2025, had to sit out a good chunk of his rookie season with a knee injury. He could either vie for the top backup job on the interior offensive line or even for a starting role. Similarly, sophomore Jonah Monheim could push incumbent Robert Hainsey at center. Having said that, rookie Emmanuel Pregnon could turn out to be the X-Factor up front.
Emmanuel Pregnon was one of the top guard prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft but somehow slid to Round 3, where Jacksonville picked him at No. 88. While the Jags caught a lot of heat for most of his rookie class, they got nearly universal praise for taking Pregnon, with some analysts calling him the steal of Day 2.
Back at Oregon, Pregnon lined up at both guard spots. So even though he is just a rookie, he could challenge either Mekari at right guard or Ezra Clevealnd on the left side.
Another thing that will help the Jaguars improve up front is that they're entering the second season under Liam Coen. Last year, they had to learn the system, so all their returning hog mollies should have a stronger grasp of it.
When you add it all up, the Jaguars should most definitely field a better running game next season. Sure, you could make the case that they lost Travis Etienne in free agency, but Liam Coen is confident that the backfield duo of Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez can pick up the slack.
Add us as a preferred source on Google