The Jacksonville Jaguars will head into the new league year without one of their key players, offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor. After being unable to come to an agreement that made sense for both parties, Taylor agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. The deal is expected to be signed and completed when the new league year begins on March 15th at 4 p.m. ET.
Taylor, who has been the Jaguars' starting right tackle since being drafted in 2019, has played in every game for the team over that span, missing just a few snaps in 2022. He was instrumental in protecting the Jaguars' franchise quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, over the past two years.
With the arrival of head coach Doug Pederson and offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, the Jaguars were determined to find the best combinations to trot out onto the field. The team had two certain starters in left tackle Cam Robinson and right guard Brandon Scherff. The right tackle position, however, was up for grabs with Taylor battling 2021 second-round pick Walker Little during training camp. Eventually, Taylor was named the starter and played all 19 games (including the postseason) at right tackle.
Taylor was the team's best offensive lineman in pass protection, accounting for just 18 pressures allowed, the best rate of allowed pressures among players with at least 122 true pass sets during the year. He allowed the fewest number of sacks (five) in a single season during his four-year stay and allowed the fewest number of pressures (21).
With Taylor moving on, the logical conclusion would be for Little to take over as the starting right tackle. Little has played just a few snaps at the position in his NFL career, primarily playing at left tackle due to Robinson's injuries. Little has given up just four sacks and has allowed 23 total pressures in his career, including 17 pressures in 2022. His run blocking has been viewed positively as well, receiving a 60.0 run-blocking score from PFF.
The Jaguars will also have to juggle the fact that Robinson is coming off a season-ending knee injury, likely putting some pressure on Little to play left tackle to start the team's offseason programs. With some uncertainty at the left guard position, the team could turn to Little, but Tyler Shatley and Ben Bartch are more likely to fill the position, with Robinson, center Luke Fortner, Scherff, and Little rounding out the group of offensive linemen.
With Taylor's departure, the Jaguars will have a hole to fill on the offensive line. The team does not have an established swing tackle, and it's likely that the Jaguars will attack the position early in the draft. Adding offensive line depth could be a priority for Jacksonville due to the importance of protecting Lawrence.
The Jaguars have contingency plans in place, but it remains to be seen if they can replace the value that Taylor brought to the team. Taylor's departure signals the team's intention to upgrade the position somehow, and they'll have to if they want to keep Lawrence clean and upright.
