Report: Jaguars to Sign All-Pro Guard Brandon Scherff

The former Washington guard and top draft pick will now be the Jaguars' new starting interior lineman.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have made their first big splash in free agency, reportedly signing Pro Bowl and All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the Jaguars would sign Scherff, who played under Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher from 2018-2019 when Rauscher was Washington's assistant line coach. 

Scherff, who was selected No. 5 overall by Washington in the 2015 NFL Draft after a standout career at Iowa, has been among the NFL's best guards since he stepped into the league. 

Scherff has missed 24 career games due to injury in his career, including 22 over the last four years. With 89 career starts under his belt, he has been named a Pro Bowler five times and was a first-team All-Pro in 2020.

The Jaguars badly needed boost at guard after the expiration of left guard Andrew Norwell's contract and right guard A.J. Cann's contract. The Jaguars re-signed interior offensive lineman Tyler Shatley, still have 2020 draft pick Ben Bartch on hand and also could bring back swing lineman Will Richardson, but none provide the upgrade Scherff does.

With Scherff signed, the Jaguars and general manager Trent Baalke have made their first serious addition to the offense in free agency since signing Nick Foles in 2019. Since then, most of the Jaguars' free agency additions have come on the defensive side of the ball. Scherff represents the first change in this pattern.

Scherff will join franchise-tagged left tackle Cam Robinson as one of the team's highest-paid players, making the offensive line a clear priority for Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson.

Following a year where the Jaguars' entire offense looked disjointed around No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars have made a major addition to attempt to help Lawrence in Scherff, the first of any such additions.

“Well I think you’re always trying to protect an asset and obviously the quarterback is a huge asset to any organization," Baalke said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "Anything you can do schematically and physically within player selection to protect him is advantageous to you.”

"I think when you look at the Super Bowls and who has won them, it’s pretty obvious what it takes to get there and accomplish that mission. The quarterback position is a key position. The key position on any football team, but it takes a lot of other good football players," Baalke said. 

"When we got to the Super Bowl game in 2012 [with San Francisco], we had a roster that I had a lot of good football players on it. Your mission in the position I’m in is to get as many of those guys as you can get to supplement that quarterback position. We feel really good about Trevor [Lawrence] and where he’s at as a pro, where he’s at as a person. I feel very confident that with him we can move forward and build a championship caliber football team.”