Jacksonville Jaguars guard duo deserves plenty of praise
Cleveland Browns guard second-round pick Joel Bitonio and Dallas Cowboys first-round choice Zack Martin were two of the most impressive rookies at any position last season, but the Jacksonville Jaguars also had an excellent rookie performance out of one of their guards in Miami Hurricanes product Brandon Linder.
A third-round pick, Linder has been one of the unsung rookies of an excellent 2014 NFL Draft class, as the Jaguars starting right guard has shown that he is already one of the team’s most valuable players. A solid pass protector who shows a real mean streak in the running game, Linder jumped on my radar as a potential draft sleeper after he did a stellar job of handling St. Louis Rams DT Aaron Donald, who is a prime Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate after being a huge impact player on an elite defensive line in his first season.
Linder’s offensive line in Jacksonville will never earn the adjective “elite”- let alone “good”- after causing rookie Blake Bortles to be the NFL’s most-sacked quarterback (55), but it’s possible that their guard duo could earn that label in the future. The Jaguars main addition to their offensive line wasn’t the drafting of Linder, as the signing of former Denver Broncos Pro Bowl guard Zane Beadles to a five-year, $30 million deal was one of Jaguars GM David Caldwell‘s biggest moves of the offseason.
At the time, I though they paid too much, but they desperately needed the upgrade and only handed him $13 million in guaranteed money. Combine that with the solid season he put together in 2014, and Beadles has made the Jaguars front office look good.
Some criticized the decision to hand Beadles that contract, since he was the weak link on the Broncos stellar line in their AFC Championship-winning 2013 season. However, Beadles wasn’t exactly bad, and his minor issues in pass pro were exaggerated by the work done by his line-mates. I mean, Beadles is a smart, athletic, and experienced player who has played at tackle before, and he was excellent in 2012, allowing one sack and putting in some solid work in the running game, per Pro Football Focus.
So far, the $4.5 million roster bonus and additional money he made in the first season of his deal have been worth it, as Beadles was one of the NFL’s best guards in pass pro last season. In fact, Linder was also among the best ten guards in PFF’s pass blocking efficiency, which uses a lineman’s snap count, pressures allowed, QB hits allowed, and sacks allowed to give a weighted measure of how effective a player was in pass protection. It isn’t a be-all, end-all stat, but with the likes of Josh Sitton and Kelechi Osemele at or near the top of the list, it more than passes the sniff test.
Beadles and Linder were seventh and ninth in pass blocking efficiency, respectively, and they did it despite playing with a well below-average guard duo. Luke Bowanko and Jacques McClendon didn’t exactly provide any cover in between those two guards either, so the Jaguars positive play on the line was largely restricted to their two guards. Per PFF, Luke Joeckel caused Bortles to be hit 15 times last season, so left guard Beadles seemed to have the most work cut out for him.
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Although I used sacks (one allowed) to highlight Beadles’s impressive play for the Broncos in his 2012 Pro Bowl campaign, it’s important to note that pressures are a much better indicator of consistent line play than sacks, especially since the turning of pressure into sacks has a lot to do with the quarterback or the battle between pass-catcher and defender.
To wit, Linder allowed five sacks last season, which is as much as Charlie Johnson and Davin Joseph, which clearly doesn’t look good at face value. But if we use pressure to evaluate him, Linder allowed Bortles to face pressure just 15 times, and that’s well below the two veterans mentioned above, who both allowed more than 30 pressure each. Just seven guards allowed less overall pressure than Linder, though he did log less than 100 snaps in pass pro than Beadles, who is likely the better pass blocker overall, especially since he’s been good for more than just one season.
Even though offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch is no longer with the team, he did bring one player with him from Miami who will have a lasting impact with the Jaguars organization. Well, maybe he’ll leave for free agency after his rookie contract, but I have a feeling he’ll be so good that the Jaguars will do what they can to keep him. Beadles is the more expensive and experienced hand at guard, but Linder is already a significantly better run blocker at 6’6″ and with a violent motor reminiscent of a stud DT lining up across from him.
There are plenty of issues on the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line, and there’s no question that they need to take a long look at the center and tackle spots this offseason. I mean, center was such a big need for them last offseason that they went after Cleveland Browns transition tag guy Alex Mack, who is one of the best in the business at the position. They don’t need to break the bank on a center, though, since their interior would be set with a league-average center in between their guard duo, as Beadles and Linder barely allow a sniff of pressure up the middle.
The tackles, however, allow an awful lot of pressure, but a breakout season from former No. 2 overall pick Joeckel as well as at least average blocking on the right side could turn the offensive line into a strength for the Jaguars. Caldwell and the organization have their work cut out for them when it comes to giving their franchise quarterback a stable line situation, but they have two clear building blocks at guard from the past offseason, as well as promising skill position players around Bortles.