ORLANDO – He likes what’s new and what’s returning.
Doug Pederson, too, likes how those elements could fit together – and overall, he likes much about the Jaguars’ offensive line. None of which means the group doesn’t have to improve.
“I feel good,” the Jaguars’ head coach said this week of the offensive line.
Pederson, entering his third season as the Jaguars’ head coach, discussed multiple issues about the offense when meeting with the media this week at the 2024 NFL Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Lakes. He discussed multiple free-agent moves, and how they will affect a unit that was effective at times in 2023 and also was affected by injuries throughout the season.
Among the most-discussed areas of the unit this offseason: An offensive line that struggled at times in 2023 – particularly on the interior and particularly as a run-blocking unit.
“The biggest thing we have to do for us is we do have to get better in the run game,” Pederson said.
The Jaguars in 2023 finished 24th in the NFL in rushing, with running back Travis Etienne Jr. rushing for more than 1,000 yards for a second consecutive season. Etienne, the No. 25 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, was one of the NFL’s most-explosive running backs in 2023 and used that dynamic play-making ability to rush for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns.
But Etienne averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, and the Jaguars as a team averaged 3.6 yards per carry – which tied for second-lowest in the NFL. They also were second in the NFL in runs of no gain or a loss (120), which led to short-yardage and red-zone issues that hurt the offense’s overall effectiveness.
“Even as well as TJ (Etienne) played, we still have to get better,” Pederson said. “There is still more on the table. You’ve got to be able to run the ball in this league as well. That helps your quarterback. It sets up a lot of different things for you. So that’s…
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