Mitch Morse's vitality should reinvigorate the Jaguars O-Line

The Jacksonville Jaguars had several paths to address the center position in the offseason. They ultimately chose to sign veteran Mitch Morse, who's previously played for head coach Doug Pederson. While Morse is entering his 10th season in the NFL, he's not showing signs of slowing down. In fact, he believes signing with the Jags has been a breath of fresh air late in his career.

Morse told Hays Carlyon of 1010 XL that he's embracing the challenge of joining a new team after spending five seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

"It's just been a unique situation," Morse said. "But everyone's been handling it well. I had to come to an established offensive line room. I think I was the only guy for a few weeks. For me, it was more discussing how everyone did their thing, how the chips fell, and how I could find my way into that room to help it project forward rather than trying to make it something that wasn't. Cuz' they already got good bones. For me, it's trying to make everyone the best version of themselves no matter who they are."

Morse goes on to say that having to get acclimated to a new team forces him not to get complacent.

"Right now since it's so different. There's a whole slew of things. It's not only footwork but everything is different verbiage, how you attack a block a certain way. For us, it's everything right now. It's a nice breath of fresh air towards the end of my career to not have a little complacency. You're forced to take a step forward," Morse said.

During his exchange with Carlyon, Morse also took a moment to praise Trevor Lawrence.

"I love Trevor. What I like about Trevor more than anything is how he comes into a huddle, how he presents himself. It permeates through the rest of the guys. He commands it and is also a good dude you can go to battle with."

A second-round pick in 2015, Morse spent his first four NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. During his rookie season, Doug Pederson was the Chiefs offensive coordinator. The former Mizzou Tiger signed a two-year deal with the Jaguars in the offseason. Here's Morse's exchange with Carlyon.

Mitch Morse will be an upgrade at center for the Jaguars

Luke Fortner was arguably the Jaguars' weakest link last season. After flashing in his rookie season, he was expected to make a leap in 2023 but instead regressed. By bringing in Mitch Morse, the team's brass acknowledged that they could no longer wait for Fortner to improve.

While Morse was brought in to compete with Fortner for the starting job, he should have no trouble coming out on top. He's never made the Pro Bowl but has been dependable throughout his career. Last year, he allowed just one sack and a manageable 25 pressures.

One added benefit of signing Morse is that Fortner will have a chance to take a step back and learn behind him. Moreover, Morse's presence will allow the Jaguars to add another center in 2025 — if they choose — and bring him along slowly.

While center isn't a glamorous position in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars showed how important it is by bringing in Mitch Morse in the offseason. Heck, you could even say he'll be a breath of fresh air on the offensive line.

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