Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Will Richardson filled in at left tackle for the team in their first two regular season games in 2019 and was moved to right guard where he split time on the field with A.J. Cann afterward. However, in 2020 he’ll call the left tackle position his permanent home according to head coach Doug Marrone, who met with the media Friday.
“The one thing about Will is he has shown progress and shown the ability to play and shown consistency when we have kept him in one position,” Marrone said Friday. “I want to be real cognizant of what we do with him. He has the ability to grow and get better and he has the traits to be a starter somewhere along that line, but we have to put him in a spot and we’re putting him at left tackle right now.”
This move likely will make Richardson the Jags’ new swing tackle. It also makes him the most versatile player on the line as he’s now played left tackle, right tackle (in college), and right guard.
The move comes after the Jags invested a fourth-round selection into Ben Bartch of St. Johns college this offseason, who will make the right guard spot his official position. Upon drafting the rookie there were some who felt he could take A.J. Cann’s spot in the starting lineup in 2020, but the staff views him more as a project right now. That means they could be eying 2021 as the year he cracks the lineup as he’ll have a year under his belt and Cann will have a potential out in his contract.
When adding in Tyler Shatley’s ability to man the guard and center positions with 15 starts to his name, the Jags now have their top-3 reserves on the offensive line between him, Bartch, and Richardson. This approximately leaves one spot open for the final 53-man roster on the unit as the team could potentially take another reserve on the roster for the left guard spot.