Jaguars OT position battle is worth watching

Heading into the offseason, many expected that one of Jacksonville’s top priorities would be bringing in an offensive tackle, either in free agency or the draft. Left tackle Cam Robinson’s rookie contract had expired, and right tackle Jawaan Taylor has been a bit more of a project player than the team had hoped when it drafted him.

However, such a move never materialized, and Jacksonville instead decided to franchise tag Cam Robinson, making him the team’s biggest cap hit in 2021. It’s hard to put a player being paid nearly $14 million on the bench, but that’s exactly the situation the Jaguars could find themselves in with Robinson.

In the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, Jacksonville took Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little, a player who at one point was considered an elite prospect before missing nearly the entire 2019 season with an injury and opting out in 2020. Little wasn’t expected to be an impact player in Year 1, but after a very impressive training camp, that may be changing.

ESPN’s Mike DiRocco listed the offensive tackle position battle as the most interesting to watch on the team.

Second-round pick Walker Little has been very impressive in camp, so much so that right tackle Jawaan Taylor and left tackle Cam Robinson better be on notice. Coach Urban Meyer said both players needed to be better in 2021 than they were last season (per ESPN Stats & Information, Taylor gave up 18 sacks and Robinson nine). Even though the Jaguars picked up the fifth-year option on Robinson and will pay him $13.75 million in 2021, he’s not a lock to start if Little, who played left tackle at Stanford and has begun cross-training at right tackle this past week, continues to impress.

Little could push for a starting job at either tackle spot, though he has the most familiarity playing on the left side. That would also make more sense, considering Taylor likely projects to be a part of this team’s future longer than Robinson.

But considering the fact that the team is cross-training Little, it seems Meyer and his staff are at least keeping their options open on the right side. If Taylor doesn’t take a major step up in 2021, his job could be on the line, as well.

On Wednesday, Robinson was asked about his relationship with Little. Though he said the two have a solid relationship, it was stated with some clear edge. Perhaps the race for a starting tackle job is even more neck-and-neck than was first thought.

So I asked Cam Robinson about his relationship with rookie Walker Little…#Jaguars | @FCN2go pic.twitter.com/IqEbRbU3Je

— Mia O’Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) August 11, 2021

Only time will tell how the battle will shake out, but the preseason should be a good opportunity for Little to demonstrate what he’s shown in practice in a real-game atmosphere. Though it seems unlikely that the team will use a rookie to protect Lawrence’s blindside, it’s clear that the job is far from being won.