Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Walker Little has spent most of his NFL career as the odd man out. It looks like that could be the case once again.
On Tuesday, the Jaguars made a trade just before the NFL deadline to acquire veteran guard Ezra Cleveland from the Minnesota Vikings. While coach Doug Pederson described the addition as one that’ll give the Jaguars “really good depth,” it sure seems like a little more than that.
Cleveland, 25, developed into a consistent and reliable starting lineman during his time with the Vikings. And Jacksonville probably didn’t give up a draft pick for what could be a short-term rental just so Cleveland can watch from the sideline.
If Cleveland does end up starting at left guard (a consistent weak spot for the Jaguars for the last two years), that probably leaves no place for Little. That’s nothing new.
The 2021 second-round pick spent the majority of his first two seasons as a backup for offensive tackles Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor. The departure of Taylor in free agency opened up a place for Little to start at right tackle, but the Jaguars quickly filled that hole with 2023 first-round pick Anton Harrison.
With Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley struggling at left guard early in the year, Little stepped into the role when Robinson returned from a four-game suspension. That lasted just 11 snaps before a knee injury sidelined Little and pushed Shatley back into the starting lineup.
Little should be healthy enough to return to the field after the bye week (he didn’t play in Week 8, despite being active), but there may not be a spot left for him to fill. And the wildest part is that Little may be the team’s best offensive lineman!
In five games and 179 pass blocking snaps this season, Little was credited with allowing only one sack. His 76.0 grade on Pro Football Focus so far this season is second best on the Jaguars offense behind only quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s 84.9.
Having too many good offensive linemen and not enough starting spots is a great problem to have, but Little’s inability to secure a consistent role is a peculiar byproduct.
Is Little the future starting left tackle with the Jaguars able to recoup $17.75 million in cap space by cutting Robinson after the season? It looked that way before the 2023 season started and could still be the case, but it no longer seems like a slam dunk move with Robinson playing some of the best football of his career.
Will Cleveland leave as a free agent and free up Little to take back starting left guard duties for good? Or would it make more sense to cut ties with Brandon Scherff and move Little to right guard?
Eventually, it feels prudent to get Little permanently involved in the Jaguars offense. The team’s Tuesday trade for Cleveland probably kicked that can down the road, though.
