Patrick Mekari is dangerously close to getting dreaded label with the Jaguars

Ladies and gents, we're one step closer to the promised land. After three preseason games that certainly happened, the Jacksonville Jaguars released their first draft of the team's initial 53-man roster. I think the biggest surprises came from who actually made the team instead of who didn't, but there's one name I can't believe I didn't see.

On their official website, the Jags dropped an explainer highlighting the 53 players who could be suiting up against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. After scrolling down to the offensive line section, I noticed that Patrick Mekari wasn't there. Now, that doesn't mean he was outright cut, as he's been placed on the Reserve/Injured; Designated for Return list instead.

Football is a brutal sport, so we shouldn't be surprised that an interior offensive lineman who's approaching 30 has been a bit banged up lately. However, Mekari isn't just a bit banged up, as he had back surgery to address a nagging issue that kept him from full working with the team during training camp.

Unfortunately, that means James Gladstone's biggest free agency signing yet was unable to improve upon the weak first impression he made in 2025 and establish himself as one of the offense's undisputed starters in 2026. With $22.5 million earmarked to be sent to the former Baltimore Raven's bank account the moment he put pen to paper, we have to start asking ourselves a serious question: "Is Patrick Mekari the first huge bust of Jacksonville's new era?"

Patrick Mekari's unavailability only accentuates his lack of dominance with the Jaguars

If we go by the numbers, Patrick Mekari was actually one of the worst guards in pro football last year. Pro Football Focus' data shows that he was the 68th-ranked guard out of 81 qualifying players. The veteran's 52.1 overall grade was accompanied by a 51.8 pass-blocking score, which ranked 69th, and a 55.1 run-blocking rating that was the 56th-best performance at his position.

Before you say that this is all a bit unfair, Mekari had more than enough snaps to prove himself, as his 869 snaps were the 38th most of all the guards evaluated by the outlet last season.

While Gladstone didn't exactly promote Mekari like he was a former Pro Bowler to begin with, the contract he gave the 29-year-old lineman signified that he was, at the very least, supposed to be a middle-of-the-road starter for the duration of his time in Duval County. Unfortunately, that did not end up being the case in 2025 and seems to be a tall ask for the rest of Mekari's tenure in the future.

Looping back to this summer, Emmanuel Pregnon, who's looking like a steal right now, has a good-to-great chance of starting at left guard against the Browns. According to ESPN's depth chart for the Jags, that would kick Ezra Cleveland over to the right side. For comparison's sake, PFF had Cleveland rated as the 27th-best guard in football overall and the 18th-best pass blocker at the position.

In other words, Mekari probably ain't beating him in a straight up position battle.

You may also like: Winners and losers from the official 53-man roster

But does this really mean that Patrick Mekari is a bust?

Now, having a lot of good guards on the roster isn't a tragedy by any means. However, the entire preseason highlighted just how replaceable Mekari is after all.

Once Cole Van Lanen is ready to hit the field again, he, Walker Littler, and Wyatt Milum will give the Jags even more options to consider as they try to find the best five guys to block for Trevor Lawrence every Sunday.

In the end, time will tell how much longer Mekari remains a Jacksonville Jaguar, but it's already fair to say that the front office should avoid making deals like his again in the future.

If that isn't the kindest way to admit that a big-money transaction went south, then I don't know what is.

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