3 Observations on the Jaguars Trade For Cole Van Lanen

What are the Jaguars getting from new offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen?

The Jacksonville Jaguars made yet another training camp trade, following a trend general manager Trent Baalke displayed in 2021. This time, the target was Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen, who the Jaguars traded a seventh-round pick for.

Van Lanen was a sixth-round pick in 2021, with Green Bay selecting him No. 214 after a long career at Wisconsin. He played in 45 games with the Badgers, making 19 starts at left tackle in his four seasons, with 18 of those starts coming over his final two seasons. He Earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference's coaches and second-team recognition from the media as a senior in 2020.

But what does the Van Lanen pick mean for the Jaguars and their offensive line moving forward? I break it down below. 

Van Lanen makes the most sense as guard depth 

There were some questions about Van Lanen's exact fit with the Jaguars once the trade was announced. The Packers run a similar zone-based running scheme and have a lot of the same core offensive line principles as the Jaguars, so the athletic Van Lanen fitting into Phil Rauscher's unit and Doug Pederson's system should be seamless. 

Some of new #Jaguars OL Cole Van Lanen against the 49ers in the preseason. He was the second-team LG, playing the second-half. pic.twitter.com/4EL69QgC5H

— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) August 24, 2022

The real question, though, is exactly where Van Lanen will slot into things. Is he a tackle, like he was at times with the Packers? Or is he a left guard, like he was during the preseason? Watching Van Lanen's preseason reps with the Packers, it would appear his most natural fit is inside at guard, where he can use his athleticism to perform combo blocks and climb to the second-level.

It is unlikely the Jaguars traded for Van Lanen with hopes of him pushing left guard Ben Bartch for a starting role, but there are serious questions beyond Bartch at the position. The Jaguars don't have many backup guard options on the roster with players such as Coy Cronk, K.C. McDermott and Beau Benzschawel failing to standout. 

The Jaguars already had seven linemen who were locks for the roster in Bartch, Cam Robinson, Luke Fortner, Brandon Scherff, Jawaan Taylor, Walker Little, and Tyler Shatley. Beyond them, they have Will Richardson, if healthy, as an option. Outside of Richardson, though? It is slim pickings. The offensive line depth needed to be boosted, especially inside at guard. This trade does that.

Trading a pick for Van Lanen suggests he is a good bet to make the team 

The Jaguars have never been a team that is afraid to deal late-round picks, and they did so again with Van Lanen in this case. This is similar to the deal they made for Malcom Brown with the Saints last year, though Brown did get a new contract once he signed with the Jaguars. 

Still, when a team trades draft capital for a player with fewer than three weeks until Week 1, the expectation should be for him to be on the 53-man roster. Van Lanen will basically have two joint practices with the Falcons and a preseason game on Saturday to make his case for Doug Pederson's squad, so it wouldn't make much sense for the Jaguars to trade a draft pick and then release him six days later. 

In short, expect for one of the Jaguars' 53-man roster spots to now be secured with Van Lanen. Considering he wasn't a Jaguar just a few days ago, this means one Jaguars player who many expected to make the team will no longer make it. Richardson Jr. is one player to consider, while the Jaguars could also choose to go light at cornerback or safety. 

With the seventh-round pick traded, the Jaguars now have eight picks in the 2022 NFL Draft: one pick each in the first three rounds, two picks in the fourth round, one pick in the fifth round, and two more picks in the sixth round.

Has this solidified the starting left guard role? 

With Van Lanen now on the Jaguars roster and potentially taking a place on the depth chart as left guard, it is fair to wonder what this could mean for the starting left guard position. The Jaguars have tried out two different players as starting left guard in camp with Shatley and Bartch, and it has been Bartch who has taken all of the reps at guard over the last week as Shatley has shifted to second-team center. 

“I think there’s still some competition there, but as we get into more game weeks, say, Washington, it’ll be solidified, and whoever it is will be taking all the reps at that spot," Pederson said on Tuesday about the offensive line spots that are still in the air. "These next two days, the game, how much time they get, if any, is important for seeing who those five guys are going to be.”

So, how does Van Lanen factor into things? I believe he actually helps confirm that the Jaguars' plan is to roll with Bartch at left guard and Shatley as the backup center. Backup center is one of the most important positions on the depth chart considering the need for another snapper if the starter is injured, and the Jaguars had major issues there over the first half of camp. 

Shatley has since shifted over to the second-team center role, meaning he has taken no snaps at left guard behind Bartch. And with Shatley at center, the hole on the second team went from there to left guard, where Bartch used to occupy. Van Lanen can now take the second-team guard spot, helping Bartch and Shatley officially settle into their new roles.