Jaguars Stat of the Week: Can Anton Harrison Continue His Momentum?

It’s only a week to the Jaguars first preseason, and with it comes the feeling of the return of football.

Thus, as the pads are on now, the story of training camp has evolved as the jaguars’ offense was struggling significantly before. Well, the offense has awaken from the dead and has started making some noise also on their side.

Finally, it will be the offense’s Anton Harrison who will be under the microscope- though not really- for this week’s ‘Stat of the Week,’ which will be centered on how the Jaguars’ first-round pick in the 2023 draft fared in his rookie season.

Of course, per Pro Football Focus, Harrison also gave up a pressure rate of only 3. being 85%, 9th among all tackles, and first among all the rookies.

In the 2023 season Harrison faced the pass block as follows 27 pressures and 5 sacks in 701 opportunities. A lot of people had their eyebrows raised when the Jaguars allowed their former tackle Jawaan Taylor to test the market; however, Harrison being Harrison silenced the critics through his efficient pass-blocking.

As is often the case with an Indianapolis Colts’ interior lineman, his work as a run-blocker is still raw as is the team’s status. Having arrived from Oklahoma, the Jaguars did know that his run blocking would not be AS refined as his pass protection. Before a new 2024 season, it ought to be something to look forward to from the former Sooner.

Explaining Harrison ahead of the second year of his time with the Jaguars, head coach Doug Pederson said that the player would have to go through the concussion protocol, so he would not practice for the next few days, but had otherwise been doing fine.

“He has most likely been one of the more steady offensive linemen, if not the most steady, so far this year,” Peterson added that Duece missed a lot of OTAs with his shoulder issue and subsequent surgery but he came back in the right mindset and the guys, Josh and Travon in particular, are only going make Duece even better.

This certainly does Jarvis Harrison well given that he is a neighbor to Brandon Scherff, a two time All-Pro and a five time Pro Bowl guard. Scherff’s pass-blocking is still impeccable as his pressure rate allowed at the end of the previous season stands at 2%. According to the ratings: 11%, This guard is ranked the 2nd of all the guards.

A clean slate for a line that had characterised by injuries in 2023, coupled with the signing of Morse at center should set the team up for a better year. Thus, one can anticipate an identical boost of the offence in general in the case, if it is so.

Quite understatements of the year was labeling the previous season a disappointment. It is true that through the course of the season there were many injuries and this did plag a role in the demise of the team, however this should not be used as a reason. General absence of a rush game, turnovers, as well as misreads all affected an offense that possessed so much promise at the start.

Now it is the time to restore the work to new form. Going into free agency, the Jaguars splashed cash, acquiring wide receiver Gabe Davis and Morse, and then, in the draft, they took LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr.

Harrison showed before the season began that he is one of the premier young pass blockers in the game, it is now time to take the next step in his second year. He has all it takes to be one of the league’s top pass shielder but for Jacksonville, the aspect of ‘run-blocking’ should also be enhanced.

If Harrison, along with the rest of the Jaguars’ offense front, brings positive changes to the NFL concerning the run game or protects Trevor Lawrence successfully, they might improve the team’s performance and approach the 2022 performance mark. The ceiling is the roof for this offense armed with new receivers for the team’s franchised signal caller and an anew breathed life into the offensive line.