The toughest decision for the Jacksonville Jaguars to make this offseason is at the offensive tackle position. With Jawaan Taylor set to become a free agent next month, the Jaguars have to decide between paying for a pricey extension for their starting right tackle or heading into the 2023 with Cam Robinson and Walker Little as the presumed starters at tackle.
According to Mia O’Brien of 1010XL, the Jaguars aren’t opposed to the latter.
While O’Brien said that the Jaguars are currently in contract negotiations with Taylor, the team doesn’t feel like it needs to break the bank to keep the 2019 second-round pick.
“If the Jaguars can’t get a deal done with Jawaan Taylor (yes, they’re still trying), Trent Baalke is okay with drafting an OT to become swing in 2023, starter at tackle down the line,” O’Brien tweeted.
Taylor, 25, struggled in his first three NFL seasons, but managed to hold off Little in training camp and maintain his starting role. He then had a career-best year in 2022, allowing just 11 hurries and five sacks on the year. Through his first three seasons, Taylor allowed 97 hurries.
While the pass blocking stats suggest Taylor turned a corner, it’s possible that quarterback Trevor Lawrence deserves the lion’s share of the credit as he was one of the fastest in the NFL at getting rid of the ball (only Tom Brady and Joe Burrow had a shorter average time per pass attempt in 2022). Taylor was also graded as one of the worst run blocking tackles in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
With Taylor likely to get upwards of $14 million per year on the open market, it won’t be easy for the Jaguars to find a number that satisfies all parties. Even after a restructured deal for linebacker Foye Oluokun and an extension for Roy Robertson-Harris cleared cap space, the team is still more than $12 million over the cap as it works to keep tight end Evan Engram.
It makes sense that the Jaguars are eyeing the 2023 NFL Draft as a much cheaper way to bolster their offensive line depth.
