Jaguars offensive line battling continuity on account of transferring elements

It’s hard to develop chemistry midseason, but that’s exactly what the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive line has to do through the final eight games of the regular season.

Through the first nine games this year, the Jaguars have changed at least one aspect of their offensive line five times.

Due to his four-game suspension, Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson was unavailable Weeks 1 through 4, setting up OL Walker Little to take his place. By Week 4, though, the team had already made a shift, benching left guard Ben Bartch for veteran Tyler Shatley.

Another change took place in Week 5 when Robinson made his return and was immediately thrust in as the team’s starting left tackle, moving Little to left guard and benching Shatley. That lasted just 11 plays before Little injured his knee, costing him the next three games of the season.

Shatley returned to the team’s role as the left guard, marking the fourth shift, placing Shatley next to Robinson.

Now with Little’s return this past Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Shatley returned to the bench, marking the fifth change of the season to the left side of the team’s O-line.

On Monday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson spoke about the potential continuity issues, while expressing optimism that they’ll continue to improve.

“That’s big. Having five guys that would’ve been there for nine games. There would be more continuity I think, [Jaguars OL] Walker [Little]] is still working himself back in with his first full game back there,” said Pederson.

“Really just understanding that there’s a lot of communication that has to go on up front, getting all of that down and the timing. It continues to improve but we can definitely get better there.”

Against the 49ers, the Jaguars surrendered five sacks and 10 quarterback hits. Not all of that is due to the offensive line, but some of it certainly was and communication issues are a product of a lack of playing together.

The Jaguars hope that is the last shift the line will have to make, which is especially important to develop continuity with the unit.

“I got a lot of confidence in the group, there’s no question or hesitation. They’ll continue to improve and get better,” Pederson said Monday.

Cam Robinson believes in Walker Little, trusts the process

Little is at the center of all of the team’s offensive line changes this season. He also was one of the players most criticized for his performance against the 49ers this past weekend.

According to Pro Football Focus, Little surrendered the most pressures (three) and was the lowest-graded offensive player with a grade of 29.2. His pass block grade was 41.4, also the lowest on the team.

Still, Robinson believes that the third-year offensive lineman will be just fine.

“Walker did fine. The more he plays at that position, the more reps he’ll get. Walker’s a hell of a player, he’ll be fine. Just give it time and give it reps. We’ll gel and it’ll be fine,” Robinson said after the game Sunday when asked about Little’s performance.

Little was tasked with manning the team’s left tackle role throughout training camp. As such, he was given limited reps at left guard during camp and did not take any or many during his time as the team’s starting left tackle before getting hurt in Week 5.

“I think it hurts him a little bit that he didn’t get all those reps in there. But he’s good enough and smart enough and all that, he’s athletic enough to know the role, know the job, know his assignments,” Pederson said when asked about Little’s lack of training camp reps at guard.

“Now, it’s just a matter of him 0-playing in more condensed spaces. It’s different than being out on those islands as a tackle. He’s getting used to that as well. He’s done some good things and he’s still working through the process.”

Ultimately, for the Jaguars’ offensive line to improve, they will have to continue to learn how to play as one. That’s the difference.

“Specifically, when you’re dealing with the O-line, it’s just different because if you’re a receiver, you just go make a play. If you’re a running back, you just go make a play. But, we all have to be in sync, like, we’re all literally one person. He’ll be fine. We’ll get reps. We’ll get better,” said Robinson.

The Jaguars will have another opportunity to gel on Sunday, Nov. 19 when the team takes on the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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