3 personnel decisions Jacksonville Jaguars should regret at 2023 midseason point
• Some personnel decisions have played a role
• Here are 3 they should be regretting right now
2. The Jaguars expected Ben Bartch to be 100%, didn't address the left guard position
Trevor Lawrence has made mostly good decisions this season. However, his ability to quickly get the football out of his hands has masked the offensive line's inability to give him enough time to throw. As Mina Kimes of ESPN noted, the third-year quarterback has been pressured at a 43 percent rate on dropbacks between 2.5 to 4.0 seconds. That's simply too much.
Trevor Lawrence's pressure/sack numbers are misleading because he gets rid of the ball so quickly.
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) November 13, 2023
On throws between 2.5-4 seconds, he's been pressured on 43% of dropbacks--the highest rate of any QB in the NFL this year. Worse than Daniel Jones!
In particular, the Jaguars have been vulnerable at left guard. The Jags were counting on last year's starter Ben Bartch to rebound from a knee injury. Bartch returned in time for the opener but he struggled and was eventually benched in favor of Tyler Shatley. The coaching staff then moved Walker Little inside when Cam Robinson returned from a four-game suspension to begin the season.
Little made the start at left guard in Week 5 but suffered a knee injury. He came back in Week 10 and struggled. If the offensive tackle-turned-guard falters again, Jacksonville could turn to Ezra Cleveland, who arrived via trade at the deadline.
What's frustrating is that the Jaguars wouldn't have a revolving door at left guard if they had correctly addressed in the offseason. They had the cap space to go after someone like Dalton Risner or Nate Davis but instead chose to stay put. It's fair to say that the decision is coming back to haunt them.