The Jacksonville Jaguars have less than 2 weeks until the 2024 league year begins, which means it’s time to break down the roster. Today, it’s time to focus on the interior offensive linemen.
Under Contract
Luke Fortner
Age: 25
Experience: 2 seasons/34 appearances/34 starts
2023 Production: 17 starts
In many ways, 2023 was a tough year for Fortner. After his rookie season, Fortner was considered someone that could take a serious step forward. That didn’t really happen.
In fact, Fortner was often a liability, especially as a run blocker. PFF gave him a 44.3 overall grade in 2023, the worst grade of any of the offensive lineman.
But while he did not impress in 2023, Fortner will likely be with the Jaguars by Week 1 of the 2024 season. Jacksonville will be looking in free agency for someone to compete with Fortner, but it’s hard picturing a situation where he is straight-up released or traded instead of riding the bench.
Darryl Williams
Age: 26
Experience: 5 seasons/1 appearances/0 starts
2023 Production: N/A
Not much to say about Williams other than he’s been Jacksonville’s practice squad center for the past two seasons. Williams was not considered for play even despite Fortner’s issues, which says a lot for how Jacksonville views his ability despite signing him to a reserve/futures contract this past January.
As things stand, Williams is likely on pace for another practice squad spot or an outright release during roster cuts.
Keaton Sutherland
Age: 27
Experience: 5 seasons/3 appearances/2 starts
2023 Production: N/A
Like Williams, Sutherland was signed to a reserve/future deal this past January after finishing the season on the practice squad. Unlike Williams, Sutherland is a new face in the organization after signing with the Jags in November of 2023.
Sutherland did not make an appearance for Jacksonville, but a look at his free agency history shows that several teams have given him an opportunity. If he doesn’t make the cut for the Jaguars or if he doesn’t want to be on the practice squad, it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to get picked up elsewhere.
Brandon Scherff
Age: 32
Experience: 9 seasons/123 appearances/123 starts
2023 Production: 17 starts
Scherff is entering an interesting offseason for several reasons. Two big factors are that he’s going into the last year of a lucrative deal and that the public opinion on him varies wildly. Some fans think he’s worth keeping, some people believe his play hasn’t matched his contract.
The Jaguars can save $16.5 million by cutting Scherff, but will be on the hook for $7.47 million in cap space this season due to restructures and his signing bonus. Freeing up that space to make other additions sounds tantalizing, but the Jaguars then have to figure out how to properly spend it.
And when considering the recent comments from head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke, it seems like they’d rather work with what they’ve got.
Chandler Brewer
Age: 26
Experience: 3 seasons/14 appearances/3 starts
2023 Production: 17 starts
Brewer was a practice squad mainstay after being cut during preseason last year. The Jaguars signed him to a reserve/future contract in January, so it looks like he’ll get another offseason to prove himself.
There’s little else to discuss. Brewer only played three snaps in his one appearance, and they were all on special teams.
Free Agents
Ezra Cleveland
Age: 26
Experience: 4 seasons/62 appearances/54 starts
2023 Production: 9 appearances, 5 starts with Jaguars (15 appearances, 11 starts total)
In an effort to improve their offensive line play, Cleveland was brought in via trade on October 31. Jacksonville slowly worked him into a starting role at left guard, although an injury did leave him out in Week 17.
As mentioned above, Pederson and Baalke have suggested they don’t want to change much from last year’s OL group and that they want to bring back Cleveland. Cleveland played on a $2.99 million salary in 2023, but Spotrac projects a $13.3 million average salary for Cleveland on his next deal.
If that’s the case, bringing back Cleveland may be pricier than fans realize.
Tyler Shatley
Age: 32
Experience: 10 seasons/145 appearances/51 starts
2023 Production: 17 appearances, 6 starts
After years of watching Fulham, a phrase I’ve learned to describe players like Tyler Shatley is that he’s a “servant of the club.” Shatley has played his entire career in Jacksonville as a role player, never starting more than 12 games in a season.
As he approaches his 33rd birthday, it seems like his time in Jacksonville may be over. Shatley deserves a proper send-off after a decade in teal, but whether or not that arrives in the form of a new contract is hard to tell.
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