Could Anton Harrison Play Left Tackle for the Jaguars in 2024?
Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke took questions on several key issues on Thursday. Among them was the most important position on the offensive line and what it could look like in 2024.
The Jaguars started three different players at left tackle in 2023: Cam Robinson started nine games, Walker Little started seven, and Ezra Cleveland started one.
Now, the Jaguars need to determine if Robinson will still be on the roster in 2024 and what that could mean for the position.
“The discussions on who’s all going to be here, who’s not going to be here. I’m not going to commit to anything right now," Baalke said when asked about Robinson, whose release would save near $16 million in cap space.
"We got some work to do, we got some hard discussions to be had."
Could one of those decisions be whether star rookie right tackle Anton Harrison moves to the left side? Baalke left the door open.
Harrison started for two seasons for Oklahoma at left tackle and was moved to right tackle to replace Jawaan Taylor as a rookie. 17 impressive starts later and Harrison has given the Jaguars options.
"But as far as Anton’s ability to play right or left, this year what he did as a rookie. Coming into the National Football League and going up mano-mano on some of the best pass rushers, a gauntlet of pass rushers throughout the course of the year; you look at the pressure rate that he gave up and a guy that wasn’t given a lot of help in terms of chips and double teams and protection," Baalke said.
"You got to be nothing but proud of how he handled himself as a rookie. He’s only going to get better, there’s another young guy that really loves the game, loves to work and loves to compete. We expect great things from him. Do we feel like he can play left? Absolutely we do.”
Harrison had the lowest pressure rate of any rookie offensive tackle in 2023 after playing the most pass-protection snaps of any rookie tackle in football in the last two seasons. Of all offensive tackles over the last two seasons with at least 700 pass-protection snaps, Harrison's 27 pressures are the second-fewest behind Brian O'Neil in 2022.
