Jaguars Training Camp Battles to Watch: Left Tackle

With NFL training camps set to kick off on July 28, it is time to examine which training camp battles will be the most hotly contested once the Jacksonville Jaguars hit the field again.

For the Jaguars, 2020 represents a year of transition. A new offensive scheme, Gardner Minshew II taking the reigns of the offense on a full-time basis and an overhauled roster that is now one of the youngest and most inexperienced in the league.

Once training camp rolls around, the Jaguars will have to short out the best way to field 22 starters in Week 1 vs. the Indianapolis Colts. Who should start at key positions such as cornerback, wide receiver, offensive tackle and more?

In an effort to gauge which training camp battles will be the most noteworthy and likely the hardest fought, we are going to take a look at the upcoming competition for several positions. Today, we look at the left tackle position, which is set to have its fiercest competition in Jacksonville in the past several offseasons.

In one corner is fourth-year veteran Cam Robinson, the former second-round pick who has entered each season of his career as Jacksonville's primary left tackle. Competing with him for a starting position will be third-year lineman Will Richardson, who has now been permanently moved to left tackle after switching between that spot and right guard in 2019.

So, who will have the leg up when it comes to the battle for Jacksonville's left tackle position? We consider the options here.

Left tackle: Cam Robinson vs. Will Richardson

In simple terms of experience on the left side, there is no question who has the advantage between Robinson and Richardson. Richardson played right tackle at NC State but he went on record to say the first two games of last season was the first time he had ever played meaningful snaps at left tackle.

Jacksonville clearly liked what they saw, but Richardson having to transition from the right side to the left side will still be an adjustment. After all, he has just two starts and/or appearances at left tackle, while his other 13 apperances last year came at right guard.

"Even though last year I started to become really comfortable with guard, tackle has always been my natural position," Richardson said on local Jacksonville radio station 1010 XL/WJXL-FM on Jaguars Today earlier this month.

"I feel like the biggest thing for me this year is just becoming more accustomed to that left side. And people don't realize it but more than switching positions, it is tougher to switch sides."

As for Robinson, he has a plethora of experience at left tackle that dates all the way back to his days anchoring the left side of Alabama's offensive line in the SEC. Robinson was drafted with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and has since been a mainstay at Jacksonville's left tackle spot aside from 2018, a season in which he suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

In three years with the Jaguars, Robinson has started 31 regular season games at left tackle, along with three postseason games. All in all, his experience far outweighs Richardson's at not only left tackle, but in general.

But experience isn't always the whole story. Robinson has certainly seen more action than Richardson has, but this means he has also had the opportunity to flash more warts to his game. As impressive as Robinson is when he is at the top of his game, his three-year tenure has thus far been defined by inconsistency, though a large chunk of that could be attributed to his 2018 injury.

Still, Robinson is entering this year with perhaps the most pressure of any Jacksonville offensive linemen following his 2019 campaign. 2020 is a contract year for Robinson, meaning the competition with Richardson could have a large impact on his future with the team.

"Left tackle Cam Robinson has never lived up to his perceived upside, ranking below average in every key metric in his two-plus seasons of NFL action. Robinson’s 54.8 overall grade ranked 75th out of 89 offensive tackles last season, and even though he missed two games, he still allowed 45 total pressures — tied for the sixth-most in the league," PFF wrote earlier this offseason.

Richardson may not have the experience and draft pedigree of Robinson, but his natural athleticism and a massive improvement from his rookie year in 2018 to 2019 has helped the Jaguars' brass build up confidence in Richardson. Head coach Doug Marrone specifically sang Richardson's praises following his performances at left tackle last season, likely a big factor in the decision to move Richardson to the blind side full-time.

"And the one thing about Will is he's shown progress, and shown the ability to play and shown consistency when we kept him in one position, so I want to be real, you know, cognizant of, of what we do with him, you know, because I think if we stick in one position, he has the ability to grow and get better," Marrone said in May.

"And he has the traits to be a starter, you know, somewhere on that line, but we've got to put him in a spot and we will put him at left tackle right now."

As of today, it seems natural to think Robinson has the inside track to win the job thanks to his experience, reputation as a former second-rounder and his immense natural tools. But Richardson won't be far behind him, and this is a position battle that could realistically go either way.

Left tackle is a huge question mark for the Jaguars entering 2020. The hope in Jacksonville is that at least one of these two can be the answer. Now, it is just determining which has the best shot of being that answer.

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