The Jacksonville Jaguars were pretty good in 2022 and there are reasons to think they can be even better next season. For starters, these will be their second season under head coach Doug Pederson and without having to learn his system, they should be able to run his scheme more efficiently.
Speaking of Pederson, Trevor Lawrence should have a better grasp of his offense and the arrival of Calvin Ridley gives him yet another weapon at his disposal. On the other hand, there are few questions surrounding the Jags' offensive line and if they don't find answers soon, they're hopes of making a deep playoff run could evaporate.
With that in mind, here are three questions surrounding the trenches.
No. 3 Will Jaguars RT Anton Harrison be ready for Week 1?
The Jaguars were surely caught off guard when they found out that left tackle Cam Robinson would be suspended for violations of the league's performance-enhancing drug policies. While clubs often treat suspensions the same as injuries, they will need someone to line up at left tackle during Robinson's absence.
The good news is that they can move Walker Little, who competed with Jawaan Taylor for the right tackle job last year, to the left side. But needing to also address the right tackle position, the team's brass drafted Anton Harrison in the first round of this year's draft.
Harrison has the talent to become a mainstay for the offensive line but after mostly lining up at left tackle at Oklahoma, he'll move to the right side. The coaching staff thinks he should have no trouble adjusting and he himself told the media that he doesn't think it would be much of a transition.
Having said that, it's uncertain how seamless Harrison's transition to the NFL will be. Not only does he have to adjust to the speed of the pros but he'll have to do it while he changes positions. While the Jaguars' brass hasn't announced the former Sooner will be the Week 1 starter, it will be surprising if he isn't.
In fact, there's a strong chance that Harrison will be a Day 1 starter and the Jaguars will let him go through the growing pains that come with being a first-year player in the NFL.
No. 2 Will Jaguars LG be a full-go for the 2023 season opener?
The Jaguars failed to find a difference-maker with any of their three top picks (Nos. 9, 20, 42) in the 2020 NFL Draft. The silver lining is that they managed to take defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton in Round 3 and offensive guard Ben Bartch one round later.
While Hamilton just got a three-year deal worth $34.5 million, Bertch is entering the 2023 season with lots of uncertainty surrounding his future in Jacksonville. The former St. John Johnny was the team's starter at left guard in the 2022 opener but he dislocated his knee in Week 5 and was placed on the Injured Reserve list for the remainder of the year.
Doug Pederson told the media during the team's pre-draft meeting that Bartch's still recovering from the knee injury and isn't sure whether he'll be available for training camp. If he isn't, the team will go resort to veteran Tyler Shatley who's made 30 starters on the interior offensive line over the last three seasons.
A veteran like Shatley can come off the bench and step into a starting role at any time if needed but there's a steep dropoff from Bartch to him, and the left side of the offensive line could become a question mark if he needs to see the field for an extended period of time.
Although it's not time to press the panic button just yet, the team's brass must closely monitor Bartch's health, and if he isn't ready to go by the time the regular season starts, they might need to consider looking for outside help to shore up the left guard spot.
No. 1 Can Walker Little be the answer at left tackle for the Jaguars?
The Jags selected offensive tackle Walker Little with the 42nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft despite the fact that they had just applied the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson. The fact that Little hadn't played in nearly two years after suffering an ACL injury and later opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic made things even more confusing. Why use a premium pick on a player and wouldn't contribute right off the bat?
The answer is simple. Before getting hurt, Little showed lots of upside, and if he had stayed healthy, he would have most likely been a top-10 pick. Although the Jaguars' decision to draft the former Stanford Cardinal didn't immediately pay off dividends, he'll have the chance to prove his worth in 2023.
With Robinson set to miss several games in 2023, Little will line up at left tackle, and signs point toward him doing a good job and remaining there throughout the season. Last year, he competed with Jawaan Taylor for the right tackle job and although he lost, he took it to the wire even though he switched sides. It's fair to assume that he might have won the battle if he had had more experience lining up on the right side.
Another reason not to fret about Little stepping up at left tackle is that he made five starts (two in the playoffs last season) and was able to hold his own.
So why is Little starting at left tackle a potential reason for concern? The truth is that he should fare well but him struggling will remain a possibility, albeit a slim one, until he shows out in the regular season.