3 offseason decisions the Jacksonville Jaguars nailed in 2023, 2 they should regret
• But they also have a couple misses
• Here are 3 they got right, two that haven't paid off
1. The Jaguars not adding depth/competition to the interior O-line
Ben Barth, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, progressively got better during his stint with the Jaguars. By Year 3, he had seized the left guard job but a dislocated knee ended his season short. Bartch spent the offseason rehabbing his knee and was able to return in time for the 2023 opener. However, he struggled and was benched in favor of Tyler Shatley in Week 4. Shatley himself was phased out in favor of Walker Little the following game.
Little had started the first four games of the season but was bumped to left guard when Cam Robinson returned from a suspension for violations to the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Little got hurt in the same game he started at left guard, and Shatley returned to the lineup. Due to the revolving door at the position, the team's brass traded for Ezra Cleveland at the deadline.
While injuries haven't helped, it's fair to say that the Jaguars didn't address the position correctly. There was a chance Bartch wasn't going to be 100 percent when he returned from the knee injury but they had no contingency plan in place. The Jags didn't even have to go after someone like Ben Powers or Nate Davis. There were other guards available, and they didn't have to invest a significant amount of money to land them.
Cleveland could turn out to be a solid option at left guard, but the Jaguars, in retrospect, waited too long to stabilize the position.
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