With a franchise quarterback now on the roster in Trevor Lawrence, the Jacksonville Jaguars are in a position where they must prioritize fixing the offensive line this offseason. That should especially be the case after watching how it was a big issue for the Cincinnati Bengals that most will argue kept them from winning the Super Bowl.
In 2021, the Jags’ offensive line played on nearly the same level as Cincinnati’s and that must change soon if the team is to have success under new coach Doug Pederson. Furthermore, they are in a situation where three of their starting lineman are pending free agents anyway in left tackle Cam Robinson, left guard Andrew Norwell, and right guard A.J. Cann.
That said, the Jags at best should use this as an opportunity to get new starters in at least two of those positions, and most have pointed to the guard spots as the most likely to be upgraded. That has led to many fans being intrigued by Brandon Scherff of the Washington Commanders, who has been one of the league’s best interior linemen for a while and is a pending free agent.
Clearly, he’s better than both Cann and Norwell by a significant amount, and if he hits the open market, he will do so as a former All-Pro (2020) and five-time Pro Bowler. That would also allow the Jags to pair him with another one of the league’s top interior linemen in Brandon Linder if they decide to keep him for the last year of his contract. For a team that would greatly benefit from a great run game as well as the pass protection they would provide, that would be huge for notables James Robinson and Travis Etienne, too.
However, to sing the former All-Pro, it won’t be cheap — even with him being 30. Per Spotrac, Scherff’s market value is predicted to be a little under $13 million/ year over three years. That’s a total that would put him in the ballpark of about $39 million overall and would rank sixth in terms of contracts at his position.
Should the Jaguars pursue Scherff this offseason?
The Jags won’t be hurting when it comes to the salary cap. They are projected to have an estimated amount of about $56.8 million available to use, which is good for second in the league.
With that being the case, the contract is one the Jags could afford easily. However, Scherff is an older free agent by the NFL’s standards and would be 33 under the three-year deal that Spotrac estimated. That’s a lot to consider when looking at the fact that Scherff has missed 24 regular season games dating back to 2017.
For a Jags team that has been hurt by injuries on the offensive line often, that should make some wonder how much he could bolster the group if his trend of health continues. For that reason, maybe it would be better to put the money towards a younger option if available like Alex Cappa, who is 27 and has been healthier than Scherff in recent times.
Only time will tell what the Jags will do about the guard position, which needs an upgrade. However, if they took a swing at Scherff it would be understandable, but when factoring in the health, it would be a risk where they might not get the best value in return.
