NFL camp openings: Jaguars battles brewing on interior O-line

Jul 27, 2017 - 12:10 AM JACKSONVILLE - As the Jacksonville Jaguars convened here July 26 for the start of training camp, they are hoping quarterback Blake Bortles begins showing he can be the player he was in 2015, not 2016. And, they expect rookie running back Leonard Fournette to be the guy that will relieve some of the pressure from Bortles and provider balance to the offense.

However, much of that hoped-for success will depend on how the competition plays out for the three interior spots on the offensive line. The outside spots appear set with Branden Albert at left tackle and Jermey Parnell a lock to open at right tackle. Albert could be pushed by second-round draft pick Cam Robinson, the left tackle of the future for the Jaguars, but for now, the rookie from Alabama is likely to compete for a starting guard spot. That's where Robinson will be joined by any number of players competing for one of the three interior spots.

Last season, the Jaguars had five different starters at left guard, none of whom started more than six games. All five players are still on the current 90-man roster, and all seem to have a legitimate shot of starting. Perhaps none will get the job. Last year's starter at right guard, A.J. Cann, may move to the other side of center this year. That leaves a wide-open competition for the right guard spot, one where last year's starting center, Brandon Linder, saw as much time as anyone during offseason workouts.

If Linder, who recently signed a long-term contract extension, is the best fit for that spot, he'll be the starter there, otherwise he'll be back snapping the ball to Bortles. A handful of the five guard contenders can also play center, along with the team's starting center from three years ago, Luke Bowanko. That's also when Linder was a 15-game starter at right guard. Add in Robinson to the list of contenders for one of the starting guard spots. Robinson is too talented to be sitting on the bench, waiting for his time to be the team's starter at left tackle.

That leaves at least eight legitimate contenders for the three interior spots on the line. The team would like three of the eight players to emerge early in training camp so that the Jaguars can finalize the starting unit and begin to develop continuity and consistency.



TRAINING CAMP: Florida Blue Health & Wellness Practice Fields; Jacksonville, Fla.

COACH: Doug Marrone

1st full season with Jaguars

1-1 overall

3rd full season as NFL coach

16-18 overall

THE BREAKDOWN

2016 finish: 4th AFC south (3-13)

STATISTICS

TOTAL OFFENSE: 334.9 (23rd)

RUSHING: 101.9 (22nd)

PASSING: 233.0 (20th)

TOTAL DEFENSE: 321.7 (6th)

RUSHING: 106.4 (19th)

PASSING: 215.3 (5th)



2017 PRESEASON SCHEDULE

All times Eastern



Aug. 10, at New England (Thu), 7:30

Aug. 17, TAMPA BAY (Thu), 8:00

Aug. 24, CAROLINA (Thu), 7:30

Aug. 31, at Atlanta (Thu), 7:00



UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS: Starter -- Blake Bortles. Backups -- Chad Henne, Brandon Allen.

For Bortles, it's time to make it big and become a well-paid quarterback for the next four years ... or else find another team. His up-and-down three years in Jacksonville will go one of those two directions. If he returns to his 2015 form, the Jaguars' offense could be explosive. But a repeat of last year, when he threw 16 interceptions and only 23 touchdowns, won't cut it. The Jaguars did not draft a quarterback nor did they sign a veteran to challenge him, so it will be up to Bortles to push himself. Henne returns for a sixth season after playing just one snap (a kneel-down right before halftime) a year ago. Allen will get plenty of playing time in the preseason to see if he can challenge Henne for the backup spot.

RUNNING BACKS: Starter -- Chris Ivory. Backups -- Leonard Fournette, T.J. Yeldon, Corey Grant, FB Tommy Bohanon, FB Marquez Williams.

Fournette may not be the starter during preseason games, but he's likely to be in the starting lineup come the regular season. His size, speed and athleticism is something the Jaguars have not had at this position since the days of Fred Taylor, the franchise's all-time leading rusher. A successful rookie season by Fournette will take a lot of pressure off QB Blake Bortles to have to carry the offense. The Jaguars will still have two solid backups in Ivory and Yeldon. Ivory had a strong offseason, displaying the running style he showed in 2015 when he rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the Jets. Yeldon missed all of the preseason with an injury, falling to the No. 3 spot among the running backs. How much the Jaguars use Bohanon at fullback will be interesting. It could spike a rushing attack that has not been very good in recent years.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter -- Mychal Rivera. Backups -- Marcedes Lewis, Ben Koyack, Neal Sterling, Alex Ellis.

Rivera gets the opportunity to replace the departed Julius Thomas, who never lived up to his success in Denver. Rivera caught at least 30 passes in each of his first three NFL seasons and should easily hit that mark this year. Lewis returns for an 11th year and is the longest-tenured Jaguars player. His best contribution will be as a blocker to strengthen the running game. Koyack had 19 catches a year ago and should improve on that number this year. Sterling enters just his second season playing the tight-end position and will need to improve on his blocking skills to maintain his roster spot.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee. Backups -- Dede Westbrook, Rashad Greene, Arrelious Benn, Shane Wynn, Amba Etta-Tawo, Jamal Robinson, Larry Pinkard.

Robinson had just a pair of 100-yard games last year after reaching that plateau six times in 2015, when his connection with Blake Bortles was very effective. Hurns is another who saw his production fall in 2016. He went from a 1,000-yard receiver to just 477 yards a year ago, a season hampered by a hamstring injury that cost him the final five games. Lee is the one receiver who hiked his numbers from the previous year. After being slowed by injuries his first two seasons, he played in every game in 2016 and had a career-best 851 receiving yards. Westbrook is a fourth-round draft pick with blazing speed who will likely double as the team's punt returner. Greene and Benn will contend for playing time with Westbrook. Both have been injury-prone and will need to stay healthy in order to make the roster.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LT Branden Albert, LG A.J. Cann, C Brandon Linder, RG Patrick Omameh, RT Jermey Parnell. Backups -- LT Cam Robinson, G/C Tyler Shatley, C/G Chris Reed, T Luke Bowanko, T Josh Wells, G Chris Reed, G Jeremiah Poutasi, G Earl Watford.

This unit has the most question marks entering training camp. Parnell is the only player firmly established at a starting spot. Linder and Cann will both be in the starting lineup, but at which of the interior spots? Linder is probably the team's best lineman, which would seem to indicate another year at center, but he saw more time at guard during OTA workouts. Albert was thought to be the answer at the left-tackle spot, but he skipped all of the team's OTAs and only showed up for the three-day mandatory veteran minicamp. While he was away, Robinson made good in-roads to inheriting the left-tackle spot. Should Albert show that he's the real deal at that position, Robinson appears to be the best bet to land one of the guard spots. Omameh, Shatley, Poutasi and Reed were among five players who started at least one game at left guard a year ago. Cann may get that job in 2017, but that leaves a void at right guard if Linder stays at center. All are issues that need to be resolved in August's preseason games.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- RDE Yannick Ngakoue, DT Malik Jackson, DT Abry Jones, LDE Calais Campbell. Backups -- DE Dante Fowler, DE Dawuane Smoot, DT Sheldon Day, DE Lerentee McCray, DE Jonathan Woodard, DT Stefan Charles, DT Michael Bennett, DE Carroll Phillips.

Campbell may prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle along the defensive line. He's a big free-agent addition who is as valuable in the locker room as he is on the field. He has the skill to play either side of the line and his presence will undoubtedly help his linemates. Jackson has made significant strides in the past two years. He had nine sacks in his first three years, but has increased that number to 11.5 in the last two seasons. Ngakoue set a team rookie record with eight sacks a year ago. Dante Fowler, a 2015 first-round pick, missed his rookie season with a torn ACL and then had a mediocre season a year ago. He drew raves for his play during the offseason, but will need to carry that over to the regular season. Smoot is a third-round pick out of Illinois who could help out at either of the end spots. Day appeared in every game a year ago as a rookie, but will battle Bennett for the backup spot behind Jackson. McCray could be a contributor at the end spot, but his value is more likely to come from his skills as a special team player.

LINEBACKERS: Starters -- SLB Paul Posluszny, MLB Myles Jack, WLB Telvin Smith. Backups -- OLB Audie Cole, MLB Blair Brown, OLB Josh McNary, MLB Hayes Pullard.

Two starters return in Smith and Posluszny, and Jack is a stronger player than the man he will replace, Dan Skuta, in the starting lineup. But there is trepidation with the linebacker group on several fronts. Jack will become a full-time starter in the middle after making 10 starts at strong-side linebacker a year ago. Not counting 2014, when he missed the last nine games with a torn pectoral muscle, Posluszny has started all but three games in the other five years, dating to 2011. If he stays healthy and can enjoy the same success he experienced as a middle linebacker, the Jaguars' starting trio will be as good as they've had in recent years. Smith has been as solid a three-year starter at the weak-side spot, recording at least 99 tackles each season. But all three starters must stay healthy; there is no proven talent behind them. Cole and McNary, who have earned their reputations as gifted special teams players, are listed as backups on the outside. Brown, a rookie, is likely to win the backup spot behind Jack in the middle. The Jaguars will be watching for a veteran linebacker to get released to possibly add depth to this group.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- LCB A.J. Bouye, RCB Jalen Ramsey, FS Tashaun Gipson, SS Barry Church. Backups -- CB Aaron Colvin, FS Peyton Thompson, CB Taurean Nixon, SS Jarrod Wilson, SS James Sample, CB Jalen Myrick, CB Josh Johnson, CB Doran Grant, CB Tracy Howard.

The secondary is likely the best in Jaguars history. The addition of Bouye and Church make this the strongest unit on the team. In Bouye and Ramsey, the Jaguars arguably have two of the best cover corners in their division, possibly in all of the AFC. In just one season, Ramsey became the team's best defensive player. His coverage skills were so good that the Jaguars didn't hesitate to assign him to cover the opponent's best receiver. With the newly acquired Bouye on board, the Jaguars won't have to lean on Ramsey so much in covering the elite receiver. In signing Church to take over at strong safety, the Jaguars upgraded the spot that Johnathan Cyprien had held the past several seasons. If Gipson plays better than everyone knows he can from a year ago, the safety spots will be improved as well. There's good depth within the secondary as well. Colvin would likely be a starter for many other teams, but will be relegated to nickel back. Sample and Wilson will battle for the backup spot behind Church. The starters must be healthy however. Gipson was the only one of the four likely starters to have taken part in the team's 10 OTA workouts.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Jason Myers, P Brad Nortman, LS Carson Tinker, KOR Corey Grant, PR Dede Westbrook, PR Rashad Greene.

Tinker and the two kickers start their third year together with the Jaguars. Myers improved on his extra-point duties a year ago, missing just three times after suffering through seven such misses the year before. His field-goal kicking suffered, with seven misses in 34 attempts, but five of those misses were from beyond 50 yards. His 60 touchbacks on 76 kickoffs was good for an NFL-best 78.9 percent touchback percentage. Nortman's 46.6-yard gross punting average was his second-best mark in his five NFL seasons. Tinker has been the Jaguars' regular long snapper for the past four years. Grant was the team's top kickoff returner a year ago, but he may need to be replaced if he doesn't make the roster as a running back. Westbrook may be the fastest player on the team and could replace Greene, who was inconsistent and tended to fumble as a returner a year ago.