The Jacksonville Jaguars lacked physicality up front last year. Not surprisingly, they couldn't establish the run or give Trevor Lawrence enough time to throw. The new regime realized that they needed to make upgrades across the offensive line if they wanted to change that. They got to work in the offseason and spared no expense to improve as much as possible. The end result looks encouraging.
After free agency and the draft, the Jacksonville offensive line looks in much better shape than it did at the end of the 2024 season. Not only did the front office add three potential starters, but they also added depth, something the team missed last year. The issue is that some of the additions the Jags got in the open market may not make the initial 53-man roster because the Jags kept making upgrades to the line of scrimmage in the NFL Draft.
Back in free agency, Jacksonville signed Robert Hainsey and Patrick Mekari to start at center and guard, respectively. But they also locked up Chuma Edoga and Fred Johnson as depth pieces. The latter held his own at left tackle at different points of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl run, and barring something unexpected, he should make the cut. The former, on the other hand, may have trouble cracking the team after the arrival of Wyatt Milum.
The Jaguars may not need Chuma Edoga with Wyatt Milum in the fold
Chuma Edoga played spent three years New York Jets to start his NFL career. He bolted for the Altanta Falcons in 2022 and joined the Dallas Cowboys the following year. Throughout his career, he's lined up at both guard and tackle, but hasn't been great at either.
At this stage of his career, Edoga is nothing more than a depth piece, which is why Wyatt Milum may not have trouble getting ahead of the depth chart. Milum started four years at left tackle for the Mountaineers. More often than not, he had no trouble holding his own at the line of scrimmage. In fact, the former West Virginia product hasn't allowed a sack dating back to 2022. That's just how dominant he's been.
Wyatt Milum did not allow a single sack on 1,028 pass blocking snaps since 2022 🛡️ https://t.co/6ptGn5vaGk pic.twitter.com/uJw2Xc9OnU
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) April 26, 2025
But because Milum's lack the ideal arm lenght to play left tackle in the pros, he's likely going to switch inside, and if that's the case, he's going to find himself at home, according to JP Acosta of SB Nation.
"I think he's going to be a guard in Jacksonville. 32 and 1/8 inch arms kind of locks him inside," Acosta said during an appearance on 1010 XL. "But I think some of the things that stood out with Milam is the grip strength and then the ability on combos and double teams to displace guys, which I think is going to really help inside rather than outside. He's best in a gap scheme. I think he's able to get downhill and get to linebackers really well at the second level. But I have a little bit of worries about how stiff he is in the lower body."
Acosta continued, "But I think that's mitigated by having your tackle and your center next to you, so you're kind of limited to a phone booth. We're not really having to move that insane at guard. So I'm excited to see what happens there, but I do think he'll push Ezra Cleveland for the starting guard job because they just need some physicality up front. I think that's been something the Jaguars have really lacked, even with Cam Robinson on the team, they lacked physicality, they lacked an edge."
"And I think Wyatt Milum, as a former wrestler. I think he brings that physicality, especially on the inside, so I wouldn't be surprised if he pushes Cleveland for the starting job, but if he doesn't get it, he's gonna be the swing, like the six offensive line."
As Acosta noted, Milum could push incumbent Ezra Cleveland for the starting job at left guard. But the worst-case scenario is that he's the sixth offensive lineman. With Fred Johnson, Cole Van Lanen, and fellow rookie Jonah Monheim in the mix, Edoga could be the victim of the numbers game.
The truth is that Edoga wasn't probably going to have a clear path to the 53-man roster. But now with Wyatt Milum in the mix, it's gotten considerably more difficult.