Why the Jaguars Made Robert Hainsey a Priority

The Jacksonville Jaguars have made a lot of moves this offseason and in free agency, they were active. However, their one priority was to bring in an offensive line to protect their quarterback.

Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Robert Hainsey (70) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have done a complete 360 this offseason. First by bringing in a new head coach Liam Coen, who is a great offensive mind and has proven he can change an offense around like he did in Tampa Bay. But now he will have to prove it as a head coach.

They also brought in a general manager in James Gladstone who was part of the Los Angeles Rams front office that risked many draft picks and went all in on a Super Bowl, won the big game, and then rebuilt the team in the late rounds of previous drafts.

Gladstone has made his presence felt right out of the gate. He comes into Jacksonville with a lot of confidence and desire to build the franchise up and be successful right away and for years to come.

Gladstone knows how to get the players a team needs to have the best chance of winning a lot of games and making deep runs in the playoffs.

Coen and Gladstone know each other from their days with the Rams and now they try to make things work and turnaround in Jacksonville.

The great thing about coming to Jacksonville was that Coen and Gladstone did not need to look for a quarterback right away and will probably not have to anytime soon. They got their quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and they proved to many that protecting him was their top priority as free agency began earlier this week.

One major move for the offensive line that Coen and Gladstone made was bringing in offensive line Robert Hainsey to help beef up the line and protect Lawrence. Hainsey played for Coen in Tampa Bay and will know what to expect in his offense in Jacksonville.

“It was a massive priority, right? That's some weight off the shoulders of [QB] Trevor [Lawrence] at the line of scrimmage, that now because of the familiarity from Robert, he doesn't have to bear as a quarterback," said Jaguars general manager James Gladstone.

"At the same time, Robert got one op [opportunity] to start this past season versus the New Orleans Saints, and I'd encourage anybody and everybody to watch that game and understand why it was a player of interest. Think about the intangible elements in the back of your mind as they relate to a performance on the field, and you'll see that clear as day in that game."

"Robert was not going to allow that opportunity—he didn't know how many he was going to get last season—to make it so that by the time that pro-free agency kicked off, that bell rang on Monday, that he was going to be given an op because somebody saw exactly what we did in him and that's a player that does not quit. The whistle blows, and he's playing through it, and that's something that we really, really value.”

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.