There's no doubt that James Gladstone did a good job in his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, making several moves that raised the roster floor. On the other hand, he had a handful of blunders that reminded everyone that he's still learning the ropes, which is expected from a first-time general manager.
Signing wide receiver Dyami Brown might've been Gladstone's most notable mistake last year, as he later had to trade for Jakobi Meyers. However, he also had other misses that didn't get nearly as much attention but also failed to make an impact. Bringing in veteran Chuma Edoga comes to mind.
Chuma Edoga was a non-factor for the Jaguars in 2025
The offensive line was an area of need last year, so it wasn't particularly surprising to see the Jags lock up a handful of bigs in free agency. Aside from signing center Robert Hansey and Patrick Mekari to start at center and right guard, respectively, they brought in Fred Johnson and Chuma Edoga as depth pieces. The four of them fit James Gladstone's intangibly rich mantra, but not all panned out. For the time being, let's focus on Edoga since he's the subject of this article.
A third-round pick in 2019, Edoga spent time with the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons before joining the Jags. Throughout his career, he flashed potential but lacked the consistency to earn a starting job full-time at any of his stops. For that reason, his signing raised eyebrows. For a brief time, though, it looked like Gladstone had hit it out of the ballpark.
Edoga made a strong impression in training camp, even sharing first-team reps at right tackle with Anton Harrison. Moreover, the former USC Trojan showed versatility throughout the offseason, playing different positions across the offensive trenches. But then, the regular season came, and it all came to a screeching halt.
When Edoga was pressed into action, he struggled. Specifically, penalties turned out to be an issue, with the Powder Springs, Georgia native getting flagged a concerning five times on just 101 offensive snaps. To nobody's surprise, he barely got any playing time late in the season and appears to be on the hot seat ahead of free agency.
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Releasing Chuma Edoga is the best course of action for the Jaguars
Chuma Edoga signed a two-year deal worth $7 million in 2025. Had he lived up to expectations, the Jaguars probably wouldn't hesitate to bring him back. Heck, his contract might have been a bargain. But that wasn't the case. Quite the opposite.
After an underwhelming 2025, it's hard to picture Edoga returning for a second season in Duval. As a matter of fact, the Jags would free up $3 million in space with $1 million in dead money if they release him, so they're better off cutting ties with him rather than keeping him around.
When you take into account that Jacksonville is $21.9 million over the cap and in dire need of cap relief, moving on from Edoga is a no-brainer.
Looking back, James Gladstone deserves praise for taking a flyer on Chuma Edodga. Then again, he always knew that there was a risk that he wasn't going to pan out. He didn't, and the Jaguars cannot do anything but turn the page.