The Jacksonville Jaguars had “real interest” in a trade to acquire offensive tackle Jonah Williams from the Cincinnati Bengals and the two teams had talks regarding a deal before the Bengals decided to keep the lineman, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Williams reportedly requested a trade in March after the Bengals signed offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency.
The former first-round pick has played exclusively at left tackle during his career in Cincinnati, but is now expected to make the transition to right tackle following the addition of Brown.
These aren’t the first rumblings of discussions between the Bengals and Jaguars, as Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline also reported in April that the two teams were talking. However, he said negotiations ended when Jacksonville picked Anton Harrison in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Harrison will begin his NFL career at right tackle, which presumably leaves Cam Robinson and Walker Little both at left tackle. Robinson is expected to be suspended at the beginning of the season for a performance-enhancing drug policy violation, but the length of that ban is still unknown.
