Jaguars Rookie Named Biggest Offseason Addition Through Seven Weeks

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had some good injury luck throughout the opening seven weeks, entering their bye week with little to no serious ailments.

But, entering the season, the offensive line was a bit beat up, with veteran players like Patrick Mekari and Cole Van Lanen missing time.

Rookie offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon, who battled for a starting job throughout the offseason, has looked very comfortable to begin his NFL career, protecting starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence's interior and moving well on the line of scrimmage.

On Tuesday, ESPN's NFL Nation released their updated power rankings and each team's biggest offseason addition, with Pregnon being pegged for Jacksonville.

ESPN's Michael DiRocco noted the improvement that Pregnon has helped the Jaguars have in the short-running game.

"The Jaguars averaged 1.3 yards per carry on runs in third-and-short (2 or fewer yards) in 2025, which ranked last in the NFL," DiRocco wrote. "They're averaging 3.1 yards in that situation in 2026 (eighth-best mark)."

The running game in general has been a very pleasant surprise, as second-year tailback Bhayshul Tuten has stepped into the starting role well.

Tuten has 388 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns thus far, averaging over four yards per carry.

He has been very consistent, running for 65 or more yards in each of Jacksonville's games prior to the recent loss against the Houston Texans.

But, a lot of this was by design, as head coach Liam Coen and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski gave the physical Chris Rodriguez Jr. his most action of the year.

Rodriguez was running hard and earning extra yardage behind Pregnon and the interior offensive line, rushing for a season-high 55 yards on eleven carries.

Since earning the starting job, Pregnon has been praised as a steal for the Jacksonville front office, carrying over his collegiate success.

As a senior at Oregon, Pregnon was perhaps the best offensive lineman on a team that made it to the second round of the College Football Playoff and finished as a finalist for the best offensive line in college football.

He started all 15 games, earning First-Team AP All-American honors and solidifying himself as one of the top interior lineman in the draft class.

Most projections saw Pregnon listed as a top-50 prospect, but he eventually fell to the third round, allowing Jacksonville to cash in on the slide with the No. 88 overall pick.

Coming off a bye week against the plummeting Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars have momentum and rest on their side.

Jacksonville returns home to host the Colts at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.