2023 AFC South Rankings: Where Does the Jaguars' Offensive Line Rank?

Where does the Jaguars' offensive line rank in comparison to the rest of the AFC South?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to make team history in 2023.

The last time the Jaguars won back-to-back divisional titles was in 1998 and 1999, when the AFC South wasn't yet formed. The Houston Texans weren't a franchise and the Jaguars shared the AFC Central with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Oilers/Titans, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Since the Jaguars' migration to the newly-formed AFC South in 2002, the Jaguars have won two AFC South titles in 2017 and 2022. While every other franchise has won back-to-back divisional titles at some point in the division's history, the Jaguars will be looking to do it for the first time this season.

In our preview of the Jaguars' search for another AFC South title, we are going to do a list of rankings of the top positions and units in the division ahead of the 2023 season.

Next up: the offensive line.

Which AFC South team has the top offensive line and which is still a work in progress?

Related: 2023 AFC South Rankings: Who Falls Behind Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence in QB Hierarchy?

Related: 2023 AFC South Rankings: How Does Travis Etienne Stack Up to Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor?

Related: 2023 AFC South Rankings: Do the Jaguars Have the Top WR Room?

1) Houston Texans 

It is tough to not be high on Houston's offensive line, which has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL in 2023. They have arguably the best tackle tandem in the NFL in All-World left tackle Laremy Tunsil and former first-round pick Tytus Howard, while Shaq Mason and 2022 first-rounder Kenyon Green anchor the guard positions. 

The center position is a question mark for Houston, but they have established top-tier talent at three positions thanks to Tunsil, Howard and Mason, while Green has loads of potential to put behind an uneven rookie season. Houston could see their offense take a big jump this year thanks to their line.

2) Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars were one of the top teams in terms of adjusted sack rate a year ago, though this was in part due to Trevor Lawrence's pocket presence and Doug Pederson's ability to scheme quick throws. The Jaguars did lose arguably their best pass-protectir in free agency in Jawaan Taylor, but they are replacing him in a first-round pick in No. 27 overall pick Anton Harrison. There are some questions about the tackle spots since Harrison and 2021 second-round pick Walker Little lack in experience, but Cam Robinson's suspension is only four games long.

The one area the Jaguars will need to improve in this year is their play in shrot-yardage scenarios, with the Jaguars ranking among the bottom teams in the league in stuffed run rate last season. Luke Fortner will need to take a step forward, while the left guard position is still up in the air between Tyler Shatley, Ben Bartch, and even potentially Little. 

With that said, the Jaguars don't have any true liabilities along their line like other teams in the AFC South, and the sheer fact that the Jaguars have poured investments into the tackle position suggests the Jaguars have an edge over the two teams below them. 

3) Indianapolis Colts 

Few lines struggled as much in 2022 as the Colts', and the Colts didn't exactly do much this offseason to implement change. The hope is that veterans like Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly rebound from down years while second-year left tackle Bernhard Raimann takes a leap in his development, but that could end up being wishful thinking.

The Colts' 2022 season fell apart for a lot of reasons, least of wich was the bizarre hire of Jeff Saturday. But perhaps the other major factor in the demise of the Frank Reich era was an offensive line that was better on paper and in name-power than on the field. So far, the Colts look like 2023 might have a repeat effect. 

4) Tennessee Titans

The Titans' offensive line is seemingly always a strong run-blocking unit, but the pass-protection was woeful for most of 2022. The Titans responded by paying for former first-round tackle Andre Dillard and drafting one of this year's top rookie linemen in Peter Skoronski in the first-round, but results still have to be produced.

Dillard was a particularly odd pay-day, with the former Philadlephia Eagle finding his way to the bench in recent seasons after strings of injuries and uneven play. Relying on him to be a starting left tackle may be a scenario that helps doom the Titans' offensive line.