Ranking AFC South Offensive Lines: Where Do the Jaguars Stand?

As we continue to march toward the beginning of the 2020 NFL season, we at JaguarReport have opted to begin taking a look at the likely starting units for each AFC South team. Among the Jaguars, Colts, Titans, and Texans, which team has the best signal-caller? The best wide receiver group? The best pass-rushing tandems?

In this edition, we cover the offensive lines throughout the AFC South. Each team is headlined by one prominent player though each unit has seen varying degrees of success over recent years.

The Houston Texans have infamously had porous offensive lines in past years, but a 2019 trade for left tackle Laremy Tunsil paid off last season. To repay Tunsil for helping turn around the team's fortunes up front, Tunsil was granted a three-year, $66 million contract with the Houston Texans, including $50 million guaranteed.

Tennesee has long made a physical and mauling offensive line their identity as they have continued to make Derrick Henry the centerpiece of the offense. The team will once again have Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan manning the blind side and 2020 first-round pick Isaiah Wilson will replace right tackle Jack Conklin.

Jacksonville will be returning all five of its starting offensive linemen from the 2019 season, though the unit was among the most maligned units in all of the NFL last season after Jacksonville rushed for only three rushing touchdowns, the lowest figure of any NFL team last year. There have been no tangible upgrades made to the front during the offseason, so Jacksonville will clearly be hoping for their current group to take a step forward.

Finally, Indianapolis has had one of the NFL's highest-rated offensive lines in the past two seasons thanks to the presence of high-caliber players such as Anthony Castonzo, Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly. With a new starting quarterback and a second-round running back, the Colts will need their offensive line to once again impress in 2020.

In our ranking of the division's offensive lines for the 2020 season, we are weighing both what the players have done in the past but also what can be expected from them moving forward and what trajectory they are on in their career.

Without further ado, here is how we rank the AFC South's four starting offensive lines.

No. 1: Indianapolis Colts

Projected starting offensive line: Anthony Castonzo, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Mark Glowinski and Braden Smith.

From top to bottom, there isn't a better offensive line in the AFC South than the unit the Colts are set to trot out in 2020. Castonzo, Nelson and Kelly are three of the best players in the entire league at their positions and they all started 16 games last season. Adding to the continuity are Mark Glowinski and Braden Smith, two solid players who also started 16 games last season.

In 2019, the Colts allowed 32 sacks, tied for the ninth-lowest figure among all offenses. According to Football Outsiders' offensive line ratings, the Colts finished tied for seventh in adjusted sack rate at 6.0%, giving them the best adjusted sack rate in the division in 2019. The Colts also finished 12th in adjusted line yards with 4.41 per carry, the second-best figure in the AFC South. With three top-tier players leading the unit and then two solid and experienced starters next to them, the Colts are set up well on the offensive line next season.

No. 2: Tennessee Titans

Projected starting offensive line: Taylor Lewan, Rodger Saffold, Ben Jones, Nate Davis and either Dennis Kelley or Isaiah Wilson.

While the Titans will have to deal with the big loss of Conklin after he signed with the Cleveland Browns this offseason, they still have one of the league's best left tackles in Taylor Lewan to anchor their offensive line. Next to him are talented players at every other spot, even if there is a lack of star power. Rodger Saffold looked like his career was winding down prior to 2019 but he was reborn as a 16-game starter in Tennessee last season, and Ben Jones is one of the most consistent centers in the league.

The Titans will need a big season out of whoever starts at right tackle next season but the fact they are returning the vast majority of an offensive line that paved the way for last year's leading rusher should pay off. According to FO's offensive line ratings, the Titans finished with the league's fourth-best adjusted line yards with 4.65, though their 56 sacks allowed were the third-most in the league and their 11.2% adjusted sack rate was the worst in the league. But with their dominance as a run-blocking unit combined with their veteran experience, the Titans find themselves at No. 2.

No. 3: Jacksonville Jaguars

Projected starting offensive line: Cam Robinson, Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, A.J. Cann and Jawaan Taylor.

Jacksonville will return all six of the offensive linemen who started games for the team last season, though they will obviously need the unit to take a leap forward next season after last year's disastrous results in terms of scoring on the ground. The best two players on Jacksonville's offensive line entering 2020 are center Brandon Linder and right tackle Jawaan Taylor, each of whom started 16 games last season and earned considerable praise from the coaching staff as the season progressed, but the other three players on the line will have to step up.

Cam Robinson is entering his fourth season as Jacksonville's left tackle, though he will have to fend off third-year offensive lineman Will Richardson at left tackle. Andrew Norwell is one of the league's highest-paid guards but both he and A.J. Cann have played closer to average over the last two seasons. FO's offensive line ratings ranked Jacksonville 27th in adjusted line yards with 3.88 and 16th in the NFL with adjusted sack rate at 7.0%, meaning the Jaguars' offensive line failed to stand out in any true area last season.

No. 4: Houston Texans

Projected starting offensive line: Laremy Tunsil, Max Scharping, Nick Martin, Zach Fulton and Tytus Howard.

The Houston Texans' will once again be led by top-flight left tackle Laremy Tunsil at left tackle, while recent draft picks Max Scharping and Tytus Howard need to prove their mettle as second-year pros. Nick Martin is a serviceable center and Zach Fulton has extensive starting experience, but overall Houston's offensive line failed to make a big impact last season and, as of now, it looks like this year's offensive line will be made up of most of the same players.

In 2019, the Texans allowed 49 sacks, eighth-most in the NFL. Their advanced statistics don't do them many more favors, with Football Outsiders ranking them 21st in the NFL with adjusted line yards at 4.13 and 27th in the NFL in adjusted sack rate at 8.4%. Houston has maybe the best left tackle in the division, but overall their line will need several players to improve in 2020.