The Jacksonville Jaguars may not make many changes to their offensive line this offseason. Anton Harrison flashed as a rookie and they appear to be comfortable going with Cam Robinson at left tackle in 2024. On the other hand, general manager Trent Baalke told the media he's engaging in contract talks with left guard Ezra Cleveland and his agent. There's also center Luke Fortner, who still hasn't lost the team's support. Having said that, maybe the Jags will move on from veteran Brandon Scherff.
The Jaguars should address the center spot in the free agency or the draft but they could also make upgrades at right guard. While Scherff hasn't been dreadful, his performance hasn't been proportional to the three-year deal worth $49 million he signed in 2022. To his credit, he's made 34 consecutive starts, which is noteworthy when you take into account that he hadn't played a full season since 2016.
Then again, Scherff hasn't been able to recapture his Pro Bowl form in Jacksonville. Moreover, the Jags could free up $9 million in space if they release him. The team's brass could use the savings to take care of other needs in free agency, or they could look for his replacement in free agency. The best guard available in free agency will be Kevin Dotson.
Dotson, a fourth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020, was solid early in his career but he truly hit his stride last year when he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Having given up just 20 total pressures and four sacks, he's slated to be the top offensive guard in free agency.
All things considered, Dotson would be a great upgrade at right guard for the Jaguars. The trouble is that he will have no shortage of suitors in free agency, so they'll have to outbid a handful of teams for his services, including the next three.
3. New England Patriots
Not only are the New England Patriots undergoing a rebuild but they're also experiencing the start of a new era. For the first time in more than 20 years, Bill Belichick will no longer be roaming the sidelines in Foxboro. It won't be easy to replace one of the best head coaches in league history, but the Pats believe Jared Mayo is up to the task.
The top item in Mayo's to-do list will be to decide what to do at quarterback. It seems like New England is ready to pull the plug on former first-round pick Mac Jones. What's less certain is what route they'll take to find his replacement, and that includes going with a vested veteran or taking one of the top quarterback prospects at No. 3 in the draft.
Once the Patriots sort out the quarterback position, they'll need to ensure they make upgrades to the rest of the offense. Their tight-end room could use a boost, and their wide receiver corps is nothing to write home about, with all due respect to Kendrick Bourne. Also, New England will need to address the trenches.
Left tackle Trent Brown is expected to leave in free agency and right tackle Mike Onwenu could also walk. On top of that, they had to plug in Riley Reiff at right guard because they had no better option on the roster last year. Looking at all their needs, one offseason may not be enough to address them all, but signing Kevin Dotson in free agency would allow them to have flexibility in the draft.
With Dotson in the fold, the Patriots could take a quarterback at No. 3 and an offensive tackle in the second round. They would still have to bolster their wide receiver corps and the tight end room but it would at least be a start.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals were expected to make a deep playoff run in 2023 but instead came crashing down. One big reason was that Joe Burrow wasn't able to stay healthy. He first suffered a calf injury in training camp that forced him to miss time in the regular season. Once he returned, he suffered a wrist injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year.
Although Jake Browning fared well in Burrow's absence, the Bengals' dearth of talent across the roster came to light. Granted, their wide receiver corps was still one of the best in the league but even Tee Higgins couldn't shake off the injury bug. That said, they at least had Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd in the mix. The same wasn't true for the offensive line, which is a bit surprising when you take into account that Cincinnati made several moves up front the past two years.
The Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr. last offseason and they brought in Alex Cappa and Ted Karras the year before. Yet, they still struggle to protect Burrow (or Browning). You could make the case that they've already poured resources into the offensive line but that shouldn't stop them from going after Kevin Dotson, who's a much better right guard than Kappa, in free agency.
Although the Bengals aren't the kind of team that goes into a spending spree, they must protect Joe Burrow at all costs. Having Dotson in the fold could help them. The challenge will be to sign him while giving Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase extensions.
1. New York Giants
The New York Giants, like the Cincinnati Bengals, had to lean on their backup quarterback more than they would've surely liked. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing — from a fan perspective — because the world got to know Tommy DeVito, who made the most out of his brief time in the spotlight.
Once the DeVitomania waned, though, the Giants were reminded that they've got plenty of needs on offense to address besides the quarterback position. Just one year after giving Daniel Jones a four-year $160 million contract, it looks like the G-Men are having buyer's remorse but because of the amount of cap space his contract carries into 2024, they're stuck with him for at least another season.
At running back, New York could move on from Saquon Barkley, who made their offense go the past two years. If he leaves, the Giants may struggle to score points. Then again, it doesn't make much sense to bring him back if they aren't going to address the offensive trenches.
While the Giants have a building block in left tackle Andrew Thomas, right tackle Evan Neal, the sixth-overall pick in 2022, hasn't been able to put it all together. The interior offensive line isn't much better, with right guard Ben Bredeson being the weakest link.
You have probably heard that desperate times call for desperate measures. If Big Blue wants to protect Jones and open holes for whoever starts at running back, they may spare no expenses to sign Kevin Dotson in the open market.