JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars spent much of their offseason assets tending to the offensive line and rightfully so.
The unit wasn’t as porous as years past, however, run-blocking remained a problem as did the health of Trevor Lawrence.
The problems compounded when Mitch Morse announced he would be retiring, leaving Jacksonville with two starting spots open along the interior as Brandon Scherff was also entering Free Agency.
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Of the Jaguars’ 14 offensive linemen, six were added this offseason. Many of those additions, unsurprisingly, were made along the interior.
There’s a chance the Jaguars could see three new starting interior linemen in 2025, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Ezra Cleveland might just be the Jaguars’ most underrated player. Cleveland had an up and down initial season with the Jaguars, entering an awkward situation following a trade with the Vikings.
The Jaguars and then general manager Trent Baalke felt good enough about Ezra Cleveland to re-sign him to another deal.
Luckily for the Jaguars’ it seems to be paying off. While the Jaguars’ line as a whole struggled last season, Cleveland might just have been the Jaguars’ best and most consistent offensive lineman.
Run-blocking was an issue no doubt, however, the combination of Walker Little and Cleveland on the left side was a marked improvement from previous tandems seen.
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According to ESPN Analytics, Ezra Cleveland’s 75% run-block win rate ranked eighth among interior offensive linemen. Walker Little finished just outside the top-ten himself on ESPN’s tackle rankings and was Pro Football Focus’ highest graded run-blocker on the team.
Cleveland was just as impressive in pass-protection. According to NFL’s NextGenStats, Cleveland allowed pressure on just 4.8% of pass-blocking snaps, fifth among NFL left guards.
His well roundedness is further supported by his 1.4% blown-block rate, which similarly ranked third among left guards. There’s still a possibility that the new Jaguars staff looks to replace Cleveland with one of the offseason acquisitions, however, the data suggests it is a far better idea for the competition to be kept at center and right guard.
Wyatt Milum impressed at tackle in college, allowing just one quarterback hit since 2022.
A move inside makes a lot of sense as his arm length is in the third percentile among tackles. Patrick Mekari brings incredible versatility and some of that Baltimore nastiness with him to Jacksonville, which is so desperately needed.
While they could compete for the job, the Jaguars’ starting left guard position should be Ezra Cleveland’s to lose.
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