The Jacksonville Jaguars made it clear that they were not sold on Luke Joeckel when they declined his $11.9 million option for the 2017 season.
Now, months after making that decision, the Jaguars have stripped their former No. 2 overall pick of the starting left tackle job.
Jaguars have settled on Luke Joeckel at LG and Kelvin Beachum at LT
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) August 30, 2016
It’s not necessarily a surprising move in the grand scheme of things. Jacksonville signed Kelvin Beachum this past spring to compete with Joeckel for the starting left tackle job. In fact, the team handed him a five-year, $45 million contract.
Though, Joeckel’s fall from grace has to be considered surprising to those who scouted him at Texas A&M. He was seen as a generational blindside protector, one that would help keep the Jaguars’ quarterback upright for a decade-plus.
But after three seasons that saw him struggle in that role, the former No. 2 overall pick has now been moved to guard. This comes with Joeckel entering a contract year and playing a completely different position.