The Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line struggled to block throughout the season. However, some of their hog mollies have performed well on an individual basis. The versatile Cole Van Lanen is one of them.
Although Van Lanen is a backup, he's come through when the Jags needed him. He filled in for Anton Harrison in the 36-5 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and was part of one of the cleanest performances Jacksonville has had in the trenches this season.
As a whole, the Jaguars allowed just four total pressures and no sacks. Van Lanen, for his part, surrendered just one pressure and no sacks. The issue with his encouraging performance is that he's in a contract year and quickly playing his way out of the team's plans after 2025.
The Jaguars may have trouble re-signing Cole Van Lanen in free agency
Cole Van Lanen, a sixth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2021, landed with the Jaguars via trade just before the start of the 2022 season. At the time, they needed depth on the offensive line, so acquiring the former Wisconsin Badger in return for a seventh-round selection made sense.
A left tackle in college, Van Lanen switched to guard with the Packers. That's the position he played early in his stint in Jacksonville; however, he eventually moved back to the edges. Then, a new regime arrived and took advantage of the Green Bay, Wisconsin native. This season, he's played 72 snaps at left guard, 18 at right guard, and 71 at right tackle.
If that wasn't enough, Van Lanen has logged 24 snaps at tight end in jumbo packages. Coaches love that kind of versatility, and that will make him an intriguing option if he hits the open market. And that's the thing, the demand for good offensive tackles outweighs the supply, so he may want to see what his market is.
The Jaguars face a Cole Van Lanen conundrum
Now, Cole Van Lanen won't get any top-market offers but could be on demand in free agency. The Jaguars would most certainly love to have him back but need to decide how much they want to invest in their backups. After all, they have plenty of needs across the roster, and as dependable as the fourth-year offensive lineman has been, his contract demands may exceed the team's spending budget.
It's also worth noting that the Jags have rookie Wyatt Milum in the fold. Granted, he's dealt with injuries and hasn't gotten playing time in the regular season. However, the Jags were high on him in training camp. Letting Van Lanen walk would pave the way for him to move up the depth chart and compete for a meaningful role in 2026.
On top of that, the Jags have 11 draft picks next year, and it's easy to picture them using at least a couple of them to beef up the offensive line.
When you add it all up, there's a chance the Jaguars will let Cole Van Lanen hit the open market next year. Having said that, they must strongly consider re-signing him if possible.