What Getting Robert Hainsey Back Means for Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive line has been the talk of the town after last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks — and for all of the wrong reasons. The team was unable to keep its winning streak going, falling short 20-12 to take its first defeat at EverBank Stadium under Head Coach Liam Coen.

Plenty of different things led to the Jaguars' downfall, but the primary culprit was the abysmal play of the offensive line. Jacksonville couldn't get its ground game going or protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence, allowing 33 pressures and seven sacks to the 'Hawks. Thankfully, this team was well aware of its errors in that department. They'll also have starting center Robert Hainsey back.

Hainsey has been a stalwart in the middle of the line for the Jaguars, and his presence was sorely missed in the last two games. Between his and Brenton Strange's injuries, Jacksonville looked completely outmatched against Seattle. With Hainsey back, they stand a much better chance versus the Los Angeles Rams and their elite defensive line.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, San Francisco 49ers, Robert Hainsey — Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars center Robert Hainsey (73) during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Hainsey's impact extends beyond the stat sheet

With Robert Hainsey out, the Jacksonville Jaguars turned to seventh-round rookie Jonah Monheim to take over at center. The natural assumption would be that Monheim was abysmal, leading to the overall pitiful performance from the offensive line. However, that wasn't the case.

He certainly could have played better, but for a seventh-round pick, he had an admirable showing in an unexpectedly larger role. The reality is, Robert Hainsey impacts the Jaguars with more than just his pass protection and his run blocking. As the starting center, he's the captain of the offensive line, Trevor Lawrence's mouthpiece, and one of the bona fide leaders of this team. Head Coach Liam Coen recently spoke on what he means to Jacksonville:

"Robert, last year in Tampa, before we had drafted anybody, he was our starting center. He was our center competing all the way through training camp. So, I had so much interaction with him. And him and Baker [Mayfield] are like this," he said, mimicking a minuscule amount of space to demonstrate their connection.

Here’s Baker Mayfield on both Robert Hainsey and Sean Tucker, praising their play pic.twitter.com/vfwTraFcKb
— River Wells (@riverhwells) October 13, 2024

"So, much of our collaboration on working through an offense was run through Hainsey. Even when he wasn't the starting center for us throughout the entire year, you're bouncing protection ideas off of him, run schemes, ways of targeting runs, and how he sees defensive structures. We had a lot of that collaboration and communication last year, and that was what made it pretty easy to say, ‘Hey, let's bring him on in pro free agency.’ And since then, just his leadership, the room, the accountability that he has every single day, that's really what he helps bring. And then when he is playing and feeling good, he is playing at a high level."

His IQ, grit, and confidence have proven infectious for the Jaguars so far this season. They'll need him to bring all of that back to the offensive line if they're to upset the Los Angeles Rams in London.

Please let us know your thoughts on his first season with the Jaguars when you like our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.