When the Jaguars drafted tackle Luke Joeckel with the second overall pick of the 2013 draft, the expectation was that he’d become a fixture on their offensive line for years to come.
Joeckel moved right into the starting lineup at right tackle as a rookie and was set to take over at left tackle when the Jags traded Eugene Monroe to the Ravens, but Joeckel broke his ankle and missed the final 11 games of the year. He has started 30 games at left tackle the last two seasons, although he hasn’t played up to the level expected and General Manager Dave Caldwell made it clear Monday that the arrival of Kelvin Beachum as a free agent this offseason is meant to get better play from the spot.
“They’re going to compete and that’s been the central theme of our team since [coach] Gus [Bradley] got here, is competition,” Caldwell said, via the team’s website. “Wherever we can find somebody to come in and compete at a reasonable rate, we’ll do that no matter what the position is.”
Beachum is coming off of a torn ACL and Caldwell said the team expects he will be ready to go early in training camp if not before. Beachum has played some guard in the past and Caldwell seemed to suggest that the loser of the competition could be an option to play guard when he said he was “sure both are going to play somewhere.” Asked specifically about Joeckel kicking inside, Caldwell said they’d see how things play out and gave a similar answer regarding the call on Joeckel’s fifth-year option that must be made in the next couple of months.