The Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line is going through the ringer this year. Andrew Norwell, the team’s starting left guard, is being placed on injured reserve. Norwell is the third starter from the offensive line lost to injury this year. This one really hurts, as Norwell was a high priced free agent signing during the off-season. Coach Doug Marrone has his work cut out for the remaining five games. He now has to decide which grouping is best for an offensive line that is really banged up this year.
Coach Doug Marrone: OL Andrew Norwell will be placed on IR.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 26, 2018
Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Lineman Andrew Norwell Headed to Injured Reserve
In the above tweet from the Jaguars, you can see that not only is Norwell going on injured reserve, but the team is also going to be giving Cody Kessler the start against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday. The same week that starter Blake Bortles is benched, Norwell is out for the season.
The Jaguars made a splash when they added Norwell to their team in the off-season. Norwell signed a five year, $66.5 million deal in March. The average is $13.3 million per year. At the time, that was the highest salary for a guard in the league. At the end of the free agent period, it was still high and Norwell currently is the second highest paid guard in the league, behind Zack Martin of the Dallas Cowboys.
So what does this mean for the team? More inconsistency at a very important position group. Norwell is the third starter to have his season cut short due to injury. The other two are left tackle Cam Robinson and center Brandon Linder. The Jaguars will also be giving Kessler his first start of the season this coming Sunday. After Norwell’s move to the injured reserve and Bortles being benched, it will be interesting to see how the offensive line does for the remainder of the season.
