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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have two problems with their offensive line. First, they must determine which five players will be starting. Second, they must figure out how to keep them healthy. The Jaguars have struggled in both areas the last several years. In each of the last four seasons, only two of the five starters have started all 16 games. Worst yet, there is no continuity in the offensive line.
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Only one of the regular offensive line starters in 2013 was a starter the following year. Of that 2014 starting group, only one was able to keep his starting position in 2015. And of that 2015 group, only two managed to be considered a normal starter the following year.
That puts a lot of pressure on last year's starting group of left tackle Kelvin Beachum, left guard Patrick Omameh, center Brandon Linder, right guard A.J. Cann and right tackle Jermey Parnell.
Beachum departed in the off-season, signing with the New York Jets. That leaves the other four to try to retain their starting spots.
Parnell is the only one that's considered a sure bet, since he doesn't have many challengers for his right tackle spot. Linder started all but two games at center last season and could return as the starter. But he has also seen a lot of reps at the right guard spot during the Jaguars' organized team activities this spring. That has moved Cann to the left side where he could supplant Omameh as the starter. Omameh was one of five players to start at least one game at that position a year ago, starting a team high six games before he was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury.
All of this upheaval on the line has created havoc for the offensive unit, which has struggled to gain yards and put points on the scoreboard in recent years. As the Jaguars are about to put a wrap on their 10 OTA sessions and prepare for next week's mandatory mini-camp, there is plenty of concern about the determining the starting five for the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against Houston.
The most pressing issue is to find the five best players, call them the starters and then hope they can play well enough and stay healthy enough to retain those starting roles throughout the 2017 season.
One advantage the Jaguars have in looking for the five best players is that several of the younger players can play more than one position. Cann can play either of the guard spots, Linder has NFL experience at both center and guard, highly-regarded draft pick Cam Robinson can play the left tackle or guard spot.
"The thing about it is that if we are splitting time, think about it, between Brandon playing center and Brandon's last position was right guard -- my thought process was going into it (was that) A.J. has played left," head coach Doug Marrone said last week. "Maybe not here, but (Cann) has played it for a long period of time (at South Carolina). I can put A.J. in at left and bounce him around from left to right, but I don't want to bounce Brandon around from center to left, a position he hasn't played before, so I just took him from center and right guard. That is my total thought process on that. Right or wrong, I can't tell you. That is how I think."
The Jaguars indicated they are comfortable with the offensive linemen on the roster after Robinson was the only lineman drafted. Other than tackle Branden Albert, the team opted not to sign any linemen during free agency.
The Albert situation continues to perplex the Jaguars. Except for his introductory press conference after he was traded to the Jaguars in March, Albert has been a no-show at the team facilities. He has two years remaining on the five-year, $47 million deal he signed with Miami in March 2014, but the Jaguars have said they have no intention of renegotiating the contract.
It's unclear whether Albert will show for the team's mandatory mini-camp next week, and if he does report, it is uncertain what kind of shape he will be in. Albert has been a tackle in the NFL but has experience at guard; he was a first-round pick as a guard out of Virginia in the 2008 draft.
Cann could be the key to the success of the line, assuming he wins one of the guard spots. He has started 29 consecutive games at right guard since moving into the starting lineup in the fourth game of his rookie season in 2015. But Cann did not play as well a year ago as he did as a rookie, and must improve his play to hold his starting spot.
"I think A.J. took a lot of heat last year," Marrone said. "I am not going to get into whether he played better or (worse) or whatever. In my opinion, A.J. is a good enough player to play in the NFL. He has done a lot of good things. He has a long way to go, but he has great potential to do that. I think he can play winning football for us."
Cann has taken reps at both the left and right guard spots. Depending on whether Linder winds up at center or right guard, Cann could start at either of the guard spots. He played more on the left side in college but has strictly been a right guard for the Jaguars. After starting 29 games at right guard, Cann is now lining up on the opposite side. He said the adjustment is all about his technique.
"I don't think it's a mindset thing more than mechanics, because you're used to setting right the whole time and now you're setting left," Cann said. "You've just got to get back in that groove and make sure I'm using those left mechanics the way I did (at South Carolina) or the way they're teaching us now."
Marrone plans to continue to mix the offensive line until he finds his best group of five starters. He calls those versatile pieces -- including Linder and Cann -- luxuries.
The players Marrone picks as his starting group for the Houston opener in September is the group he would like to finish the season with. That hasn't happened with the Jaguars for quite some time, thus creating some offensive inefficiencies.
