(02-29-2024, 12:33 PM)NYC4jags Wrote:

(02-29-2024, 09:21 AM)Mikey Wrote: Maybe I'm just terminally optimistic but I think there is nuance between the same line and slight change leading to improvement.

Restructure Cam - no change, but cap adjustment benefits team
Re-sign Cleveland - no change, but proven guy and possible stability
FA or Darft a C - we gotta do something here, this is the most critical weakness on the line.
Stick with Scherff - no change, no renegotiation, proven guy but risk of age and injury catching up to him
Stick with Harrison - no change, young, affordable player who is doing well and developing.

So yeah, if we start week 1 with 80% of last season's line, it's not drastic change. Is it improvement from last season? Potentially. Injury is an inevitability on the line. Even if we don't aim at starters early in the darft, we darn sure better be working to build that depth. I think we saw first-hand what injury can do to submarine a promising season last year.

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I wonder how much of Cleveland's bad grades were him trying to pick up Fortner's slack, though. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to defenestrate my TV after a tackle behind the line and Fortner standing around with nobody engaged.

Ezra came to jax already hurt and played through it - clearly coming back too soon - while trying to help save an already banged up and dysfunctional line.

I don't think we know what we have in him from that small sample, but if they believe in him as a fixture they should def seek to have someone more worthy of backing up the guard spots than what we've had of late. 

I don't believe that Doug and TB are going to sit on their hands re: IOL this offseason - but I am concerned they won't do enough.

With three positions within that interior group I think there's only so much you can do. I don't see them entering training camp with three new faces there. Just doesn't seem realistic at all. 

What should be realistically possible is two new faces in the line-up with a pair of serious investments made that can eventually start in 2025 or play in 2024 in the event someone gets hurt, which we all know will more than likely happen. 

I think we're looking at Robinson at LT, Harrison at RT and Cleveland at LG. This leaves the team with Walker Little still on the bench as the Swing Tackle and Guard role. Cooper Hodges as a guy coming back from injuries that can also play a Swing Tackle role and potential Guard role. 

I think that leaves the team with two decisions to make between March and April. Fortner at Center (Weakest Link) and Scherff at Right Guard (Cap & Age). One of those guys or both of those guys is probably replaced this off season. I would prefer it be Fortner. 

I think I could stomach Robinson - Cleveland - Veteran - Scherff - Harrison in 2024. BUT, the catch is that, Baalke invests a pair of draft picks EARLY in April to solve some of these problems later on in the year or at the beginning of 2025.

Two names that I keep coming back to. Graham Barton out of Duke and Christian Haynes out of Uconn. Those two guys offer some versatility and those two guys are probably RD2 - RD3 options. 

If we go a little further down, in RD4? We can start looking at guys like Javion Cohen at Guard and Andrew Raym at Center, etc. They just need to show a serious effort in bolstering the interior in the immediate time being and very near future. 

That way, it's something like this:

LT - Robinson - Little & Hodges as Swing Tackle Options.
LG - Cleveland - Cooper Hodges as back-up.
C - Veteran - Fortner in back-up role with new face that can play Guard/Center as an early investment. 
RG - Scherff - New face that can play Guard/Tackle as an early investment. 
RT - Harrison - Little & Hodges as Swing Tackle Options.

Just not going to get my hopes up with this current front office. They've had two - three years to get this right, get this corrected, and, they're taking their sweet [BLEEP] time in doing so.

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