The Jacksonville Jaguars are keeping all options on the table when it comes to what their offensive line will look like when Cam Robinson returns from his suspension -- including moving a lifetime tackle to guard.
Jaguars' third-year tackle Walker Little has taken practice reps at guard before, with the Jaguars sliding him to left guard at times during training camp as Robinson takes his normal spot at left tackle. And while there is a long way to go until the Jaguars make the decision on who plays where come Week 5, last weekend's preseason game vs. the Detroit Lions did give them a chance to see Little and Robinson play next to each other in a game setting for the first time.
"I think it was very important. If that’s the route we choose to go, it’s good for those two guys to get to work together," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game.
Once Pederson and his staff got their hands on the film from the preseason bout, they came away impressed by what they saw in Little's first-ever start at guard. He has been a career tackle since high school, never starting at guard before college, at Stanford or with the Jaguars.
But against the Lions, Little made an impression -- one that could propel him toward a starting role when Robinson returns from his suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy.
“I thought Walker did a nice job at left guard," Pederson said. "He looked comfortable in there, he’s a big body, he moved well. We wanted to see him, so we set up a couple of runs where he could pull just a little bit. We wanted to see that and loved his physicality in there."
The other part of the equation will be Robinson. Whether he and Little can develop chemistry could be just as important of a factor as Little's own play at guard.
"Cam, probably not his best game. I thought he was on the ground a little bit too much and beat a little bit. For somebody his caliber, he should play better. He knows that and he understands that," Pederson said.
"The guys come in today get a chance to watch the tape with the coaches and make those corrections. It was good to see both of those guys together though, and see the communication and dialogue that those two had during the game. Hopefully that sets us up for things to come here in the near future.”
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