The Jacksonville Jaguars will have their hands full in 2022 as they look to improve on a dismal 2021 campaign that saw them earn the first-overall pick in their second consecutive draft. After selecting quarterback Trevor Lawrence with last season’s selection, they decided to address their defense this year in April.
Though the attention turned to the opposite side of the ball, they’re still focused on getting everything they can out of Lawrence on offense, which will necessitate that they keep him upright in the pocket on his dropbacks this season. After a Tuesday trade saw them add depth to the interior of their offensive line with the acquisition of guard Cole Van Lanen, offensive coordinator Press Taylor commented on the brewing position battle ahead of the Jaguars’ joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday.
“They’re still competing,” Taylor explained of the battle among Jacksonville’s front-five. “Tyler Shatley has got a great opportunity. Ben (OL Ben Bartch) had played well. He deserved the opportunities with the ones to continue his evaluation process, then another part of that was getting Shatley a lot of center work, and that’s what we were able to do last week. By virtue of being able to evaluate him, it gave Ben an opportunity to play with the ones, because there are a lot of times guys play well with the unit they’re in. Competition ups as you move with the ones, you want to see if that continues. So far, he’s done a great job. They’re both competing really well at the position.”
It will take all hands on deck to make sure Lawrence is adequately protected this season, and Taylor seems acutely aware of what the stakes are if they can’t keep him on his feet. With great strides being made in the offseason to beef up the offensive line, all Taylor can do now is continue drilling fundamentals and game plan every week with protection in mind.