The Critical Edge James Gladstone Found In Jaguars' OL

The Jacksonville Jaguars completely remade a number of position groups this offseason. Chief among them was an offensive line that has been under the microscope and scrutinized for their performance for years now.

Over the course of the offseason, the Jaguars and new head coach Liam Coen and new general manager James Gladstone added six new faces to the line: veteran free agents Patrick Mekari, Chuma Edoga, Robert Hainsey, and Fred Johnson; and rookie draft picks Wyatt Milum.

Jacksonville Jaguars guard Wyatt Milum (64) hydrates during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Five of these six linemen made the Jaguars' final 53-man roster, with the lone exception being Johnson. The Jaguars traded Johnson to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of cut-down day for a 2026 seventh-round pick, a move they were able to make largely because of the other additions along the offensive line.

Along the line, the Jaguars now have players who are not just slotted to one spot. Edoga and Mekari have each taken snaps at tackle and guard; Milum has taken snaps at every position but center; Monheim has practiced at both guard and center.

Finding Their Edge

And it is within that versatility that the Jaguars hope they can find their edge.

"Just like I pointed to wide receiver, the defensive end group, as I just work through, hey, what does it look like at each of these position groups and how they're constructed, the thing that jumps out across the offensive line is the versatility," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said this week.

Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone, left and Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, center, all talk with Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen after the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 18th and final training camp practice at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Wednesday August 20, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Obviously, with the fact that you've got guys that can swing from left to right, guard to tackle, guard to center. It's a great group, and nobody's pigeonholed to a singular spot with that in mind. That obviously gives you the luxury on game day to feel like you're not pigeonholed and that you're not going to be tight.

"The fact that we ended up addressing that position group so heavily throughout the offseason gave us a lot of confidence, a lot of competition, and that obviously led to a lot of growth," Gladstone said.

"We're really jacked about the progression that we saw from a number of the guys returning, a number of the guys that we added. Then obviously we were able to make some moves and leverage that depth through some of the recent trades.

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