When Jacksonville Jaguars beginning left deal with Cole Van-Lanen opened the 2026 coaching camp on the Lively/Bodily Unable to Carry out checklist, the fan and media expectation appeared fairly simple: Walker Little would maintain down the left deal with spot till Van Lanen returned. The offensive line depth chart would keep largely intact.
Simply six practices later, that expectation seems to be significantly much less sure.
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive deal with Anton Harrison (77) straps on his helmet through the sixth day of NFL coaching camp on the Miller Electrical Heart on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. USA TODAY Community by way of Reuters Co
Anton Harrison, the Jaguars’ twenty third general choose in 2023 who has began 48 profession video games at proper deal with, has spent the final six days totally on the left aspect and he has been dominant. Harrison was a initially left deal with in faculty at Oklahoma, earlier than Jacksonville drafted him twenty third general in 2023 and moved him to the suitable aspect. Three years later, the dialog about shifting him again to his pure place appears not hypothetical; it’s occurring on the apply subject each single day.
Anton gained all 4 of his one-on-one cross rush reps on the primary padded apply day, together with two towards Josh Hines-Allen, the franchise’s all-time sack chief, whereas head coach Liam Coen praised his consistency publicly after Day 5. However most significantly, Coen stopped effectively wanting closing the door on the swap turning into everlasting, telling reporters merely that the staff was seeing what works and what doesn’t and {that a} everlasting transfer wouldn’t be unwelcome.
“I think he’s done a nice job. It’s part of what we’ve done, moving those guys around and seeing what sticks and if that ends up sticking, hopefully that’s a good thing for us.”
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – JUNE 5: Head coach Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars seems to be on throughout a NFL Organized Staff Actions (OTAs) offseason apply at Miller Electrical Heart on June 5, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Picture by Logan Bowles/Getty Photos) Getty Photos
For a training employees that has fairly clearly made a behavior of backing up their public phrases with actions, this doesn’t ring as the conventional NFL coachspeak word-salad. The query is not whether or not Harrison can play left deal with. It’s whether or not or not it is smart for the Jaguars to permit him to.
Contingency or Check Drive?
The Harrison experiment didn’t emerge from nowhere, nevertheless. This isn’t the primary time the present Jacksonville regime has leaned into offensive line versatility as a aggressive philosophy. Of their first season implementing Coen’s offensive system in 2025, the Jaguars cross-trained nearly all of their offensive linemen all through the offseason, intentionally creating competitors and adaptability throughout each place on the entrance 5. The results of that wide-open competitors was a beginning unit that almost all observers in the end anticipated, however the means of getting there gave the impression to be an intentional, not unintended course of in direction of gaining quite a lot of experiences.
Nov 16, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrates with offensive deal with Cole Van Lanen (70) after speeding for a landing towards the Los Angeles Chargers through the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Obligatory Credit score: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Photos Morgan Tencza-Imagn Photos
Additionally, one piece of context from that 2025 competitors sharpens the present image significantly. Cole Van Lanen seemingly entered that offseason as a basic depth possibility for the staff, with Walker Little because the anticipated starter at left deal with. Within the true competitors that ensued, he could have been a contender for the beginning left deal with job earlier than a shoulder harm briefly eliminated him from the offseason program. Whether or not Van Lanen would have gained that function outright then, had he remained wholesome, is unattainable to say with certainty, although an affordable assumption with hindsight.
Utilizing that instance as a gauge, the staff’s cross-training clearly historical past helps the transfer. If the Jaguars’ dedication to offensive line competitors is a real organizational perception fairly than merely a speaking level, then Harrison’s present run at left deal with carries actual weight past a brief fill-in function.
Extra Issues
Van Lanen in the end earned the beginning job in 2025, and with it, every week 17, three-year, $51 million extension that adopted. Have been Van-Lanen to stay on the suitable upon his eventual return from harm, his $17-million annual common wage would place him as a top-10 proper deal with wage, behind the Denver Broncos’ Mike McGlinchey ($17.5-million).
Harrison, in the meantime, is underneath contract via 2027, following the staff choosing up his fifth 12 months possibility in April. He’s presently eligible for an extension, which provides simply one other layer to this dialog of the place to play, and pay him. Left or proper? Chicago Bears RT Darnell Wright not too long ago put ink to paper on a four-year, $116M extension with $93M assured. Wright was drafted in the identical class as Harrison and could possibly be considered as the same prospect by some.
May Lightening Strike Twice?
JACKSONVILLE, FL – MAY 27: Jacksonville Jaguars offensive deal with Walker Little (72) seems to be on through the Jacksonville Jaguars OTA on Could 27, 2025 on the Miller Electrical Heart in Jacksonville, Fl. (Picture by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos) Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos
Notably, the catalyst that prompted Cole Van-Lanen’s 2025 transfer for the beginning left deal with function was
Uneven play early on by Walker Little, andA Walker Little concussion opening the door to Van-Lanen to completely man the function, after what initially gave the impression to be solely a brief task
The resemblance to final season is tough to overlook. Harrison is now performing in a distinct beginning function, created by Van Lanen’s absence, and he’s doing so convincingly sufficient that the teaching employees want to see extra.
Whether or not this storyline ends the identical approach Van Lanen’s did a 12 months in the past stays to be seen. However the blueprint for precisely that end result already exists inside this constructing:
Harm to an anticipated starterCamp performer locks down a better profile function in spot-dutyPerformer earns the contract to match new function
Competitors breeds change. And alter can typically transfer rapidly. Because the apply days proceed to stack up, Anton Harrison could be very clearly making a authentic case to stay at left deal with.
Jaguars followers, tell us your ideas, and your predictions, on the Cole Van-Lanen/Anton Harrison competitors within the feedback under!
