REPORT: The Area the Jaguars Need the Most Help In

The Jacksonville Jaguars have many issues to fix this offseason. One may be more important than all of the others.

Sep 15, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line Anton Harrison (77), offensive line Brandon Scherff (68), and offensive line Mitch Morse (65) wait to line up for the drive against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off the offseason by firing former head coach Doug Pederson. The veteran was unable to maximize the roster that was given to him, resulting in two consecutive seasons of failure.

With his firing, Pederson has taken most of the blame for the team's shortcomings. The Jaguars front office will analyze veteran quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the Jaguars responsible for the numerous losses over the past couple of years and make the moves they deem necessary to improve the team.

One position group the Jaguars must address as soon as possible is the offensive line. While many players on the Jaguars could have played better this season, the offensive line is arguably the main culprit, as they serve many purposes.

The Jaguars' offensive line was unable to protect Lawrence who was on pace to nearly match his career high sack total before missing multiple games over the final quarter of the season.

Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network recently ranked every offensive line in the National Football League following Week 18's matchups. Rolfe ranked the Jaguars offensive line as the 21st-best offensive line in the league.

"It has been quite impressive the way that the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line has adapted this year," Rolfe said. "Losing your left tackle to a mid-season trade and then enduring regular quarterback changes can be tough.

"Nevertheless, Jacksonville’s pass-blocking numbers have been fairly good. The Jaguars rank second in pressure rate allowed (27.5%) but have been helped by the tendency toward a quick-release passing game (2.68-second time to throw; fifth quickest). Their 20th-ranked PBWR tells you a lot about how this line performs when asked to block for any significant length of time.

Along with struggling to protect Lawrence, the unit also failed to consistently open up running lanes for the Jaguars' talented running backs. Rolfe noted the unit must be addressed this offseason.

"The run game is certainly an issue, with just 0.74 RBYBC/rush (25th) and a 23rd-placed ranking in RBWR," Rolfe said. "Those are not lethal numbers for a ground game, but the run blocking is the lesser part of this offensive line’s skill set.

"This offseason, Jacksonville will need to find a replacement at OT after trading away Cam Robinson, and Brandon Scherff is a free agent. The Jaguars must find reinforcements to better support Trevor Lawrence in 2025.

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