Trevor Lawrence was sad to see left guard and close friend Ben Bartch go on injured reserve with a season-ending injury, but the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback isn’t worried about the offense hitting a snag with Tyler Shatley stepping in to the starting lineup.
“I love both those guys,” Lawrence said of Bartch and Shatley. “Those are two of my favorite teammates, honestly. I’m not just saying that because I’m up here. Those really are two of the best guys. Obviously, I hate that for Bartch. I hate it for our team. He was playing great. Made a lot of strides. …I hate that his season got cut short, but I know what Tyler brings to the table, a guy that’s always ready.
“That’s a guy you want on your team, as far as the type of person he is but how he prepares himself. Every week it’s like he’s a starter, whether that’s at center or guard. Any of those three spots in the middle, if something happens, like what happened to Ben, he’s ready to step up, and when he’s in there, it’s really seamless.”
The Jaguars offensive line has done a good job keeping Lawrence upright so far during the 2022 season as he’s been sacked just six times. The Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers are the only teams that have allowed fewer sacks at five each.
Jacksonville hasn’t done as well at paving the way for running backs James Robinson and Travis Etienne, though. No team has been stuffed on a higher percentage of rushing attempts than the Jaguars.
Shatley, 31, is the longest tenured player on the Jaguars roster, first joining the team as an undrafted free agent following the 2014 NFL Draft. In nine seasons with the team, he’s started 33 games.
