One Jaguars Starting Job Competition Could Be Decided on Saturday

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to take a step up in 2022 and that means seeing improvement from quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He'll have to stay protected to lead this team to victory, though. One starting spot along the offensive line could be determined during Saturday's preseason action.

Pederson notes this Saturday will be a big game for the right tackle battle. Says he likes how Jawaan Taylor has responded since returning from his injury and that Walker Little has been "outstanding." Said Little made big strides each day when Taylor was injured
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) August 18, 2022

Jacksonville Jaguars News

Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters that the matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers is going to be big for the right tackle battle. Jawann Taylor and Walker Little are neck and neck at the moment. Keep in mind Taylor is the only player to see playing time at RT in any of the previous three seasons.

Taylor returned from an injury earlier this month and hasn't skipped a beat during practice. He has taken part in team drills, splitting reps with Little the entire time. Taylor allowed 6.0 sacks across 1,083 snaps in 2021. He struggled to play clean football, though, drawing 12 penalties in 17 games.

Meanwhile, Walker Little is aiming to take on a more prominent role after being on the field for only 224 snaps as a rookie. The 23-year-old was praised by offensive coordinator Press Taylor for his work during the first half of the team's preseason opener and Pederson said Little has been "outstanding."

Whoever loses out on this starting competition is expected to take on a swing tackle role for the 2022 season, instead. For now, Jacksonville enters Saturday night as a 3.5-point home favorite against the Steelers with odds set at -195 on the moneyline, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.