How Do Current Injuries Affect Jaguars’ Starting Offensive Line?

With Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Cole Van Lanen activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, the organization and fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, he’s been far from the only offensive lineman battling injuries this offseason. This could be very problematic for an upstart Jags team as the regular season is only a few weeks away.

Liam Coen and the Jags will need to make the right adjustments for the injuries up front if they want to maintain their powerhouse offense from the end of 2025.

Injuries Up and Down the Line

Several Jacksonville offensive linemen have been banged up, with many of these injuries happening recently. Starting guard Patrick Mekari stands out most. He’s now expected to miss a significant portion of the season after undergoing back surgery on Aug. 17. No decision has been made yet on whether he’ll be placed on injured reserve. However, he’s expected to play later this season.

Jacksonville has also seen injuries further down the depth chart.

Backup Chuma Edoga has finally returned to practice after sustaining an injury in the preseason opener. Walker Little has also missed time and has recently returned to practice. The same applies to rookie guard Emmanuel Pregnon, who’s also back at practice. He’s now competing for playing time much earlier than expected, while the extent of Mekari’s absence remains undetermined.

What Will the Starters Look Like?

Right now, Van Lanen and Anton Harrison are confirmed as the starting tackles, and Robert Hainsey is going to start at center for Jacksonville.

Now, one question remains: who will the starting guards be?

Liam Coen has also noted the status of the offensive line, identifying how the injuries have affected them in practice.

“Yeah, you just get thin. You get thin. You start putting more reps on other guys that may not be truly prepared for the amount of reps that they then have to take, which, as you could see today, thins out a little bit of the groups,” Coen Said.

“Your twos are more so mixed of threes and fours and it just kind of gets a little bit thinned out, unfortunately.”

A New Face Joins the Fray

With injuries and growing uncertainty of the interior offensive line, GM James Gladstone decided to add to the o-line room. On Aug. 19, Jacksonville acquired New York Giants guard Daniel Faalele in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick.

It appears New York was trying to get rid of Faalele due to his poor performance in his recent preseason outing. Faalele also came to New York from Baltimore, where Head Coach John Harbaugh previously coached last season; the fact that the Giants gave up on him this quickly is alarming.

Unfortunately, Faalele is no stranger to scrutiny, as he struggled mightily in Baltimore over the last two seasons, which is part of why they moved on from him. Jacksonville saw a dire need at guard, and New York had someone they were willing to give up.

At the very least, Faalele is a multi-year starter who does bring experience to the Jags’ o-line room. Hopefully, he can return to being a serviceable offensive lineman in Jacksonville.

Looking Ahead to Contested Race

Currently, most of the starting offensive line is set. For the two guard spots, Ben Cleveland will start at one guard spot, leaving one guard spot up for grabs. It’s looking like a four-man race between Walker Little, Emmanuel Pregnon, Daniel Faalele, and Wyatt Milum. Chuma Edoga could also be in the mix. This gives Liam Coen plenty of options as the regular season approaches.

This final preseason game will be crucial to Coen’s decision on who starts at guard in Week 1. Such a late decision for the final starter could create synergy issues on the offensive line early in the season. Also, as Cole Van Lanen continues to work up to full speed, time will tell if he’s back at 100%.

Getting the right injury replacements will be essential for the Jacksonville Jaguars heading into the regular-season opener.