Jaguars Trade For Giants OL Faalele Amidst Injuries

Just two days after making a plethora of minor roster moves, the Jacksonville Jaguars have made a trade.

Offensive lineman Daniel Faalele will be joining Jacksonville's trenches, in exchange for a 2027 sixth round pick.

This move comes during a week where the Jaguars have lost multiple offensive linemen to injury, including Patrick Mekari, who underwent surgery.

Faalele was a consistent player for the Baltimore Ravens over the past two seasons, starting all 34 games and taking 535 snaps in pass protection.

He followed former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to the New York Giants this offseason, but will start the season in Duval.

Faalele's numbers from last year are nearly identical to the injured Mekari's, showing perhaps what went into the thinking behind making a move for the former Minnesota standout.

While he likely won't start Week 1 for Jacksonville, Faalele is a nice rotational depth piece to have on the line behind the Jaguars' young guards.

Emmanuel Pregnon is one player who will likely start the first game of his NFL career, showing growth throughout rookie camp.

Pregnon got his first taste of NFL action in the Jaguars' victory against the New Orleans Saints, where he looked solid on the interior.

On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Grant Udinski talked about what he has seen from his rookie lineman.

"You see the physicality, you see the strength, you see the athleticism and he's able to showcase that stuff now because he has a better understanding of the system," Udinski said.

Last season, Pregnon was perhaps the best offensive lineman on an Oregon 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.

Pregnon started all 15 games last season, earning First-team AP All-American honors. He uses his 6-foot-4, 314 pound frame to dominate defensive lineman in pass protection, providing an instant plug-and-play option for Jacksonville to utilize.

Ezra Cleveland is a veteran presence on the line similar to Faalele, who can cycle in and out with Wyatt Milum.

Although Milum suffered a minor injury in practice, he is expected to be back next week, adding another layer of depth to the interior.

The offensive line will need to play strong early in the season to help the new 1-2 punch of Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten get acclimated to their increased role in the backfield.

The run game should be versatile, but it may take time for the Jaguars to get used to a non-Travis Etienne package.