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The Jacksonville Jaguars did a #dumb thing in letting left tackle Kelvin Beachum walk on Tuesday. Unless they’ve got an understanding with Beachum on how to restructure his contract, the hole the Jaguars dug for themselves is unnecessary and potentially damning for a quarterback in Blake Bortles who needs all the help he can get going into a contract year.
Looking at the draft, there’s no one worth grabbing at No. 4 overall and there probably won’t be anyone worth taking at the top of the second round either.
That leaves free agency if the Jaguars and Beachum didn’t come to some sort of understanding.
Here’s Spotrac’s full listing of all free agent left tackles in 2017:
2017 free agent left tackles
| Name | Age | Team | 2016 AAV | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Age | Team | 2016 AAV | Status |
| Andrew Whitworth | 35 | CIN | $9,000,000 | UFA |
| Kelvin Beachum | 27 | JAC | $9,000,000 | UFA |
| Ryan Clady | 30 | NYJ | $6,000,000 | UFA |
| Matt Kalil | 27 | MIN | $4,942,650 | UFA |
| Riley Reiff | 28 | DET | $1,998,425 | UFA |
| William Beatty | 31 | NYG | $1,100,000 | UFA |
| Bradley Sowell | 27 | SEA | $1,000,000 | UFA |
| Jake Long | 31 | MIN | $885,000 | UFA |
| Benjamin Ijalana | 27 | NYJ | $840,000 | UFA |
| Tony Hills | 32 | NO | $760,000 | UFA |
| Mike Adams | 26 | CHI | $760,000 | UFA |
| Nick Becton | 27 | CHI | $675,000 | UFA |
| David Quessenberry | 26 | HOU | $568,363 | UFA |
| Ty Nsekhe | 31 | WAS | $550,000 | RFA |
| Jeremy Vujnovich | 26 | IND | $525,000 | ERFA |
| James Hurst | 25 | BAL | $513,000 | RFA |
| Alejandro Villanueva | 28 | BUF | $480,000 | ERFA |
This list is, well, not very encouraging. Andrew Whitworth is the best guy on the list but at 35 years old, why would you sign him and why would he leave? Alejandro Villanueva is probably right around Kelvin Beachum’s quality (which is to say you’re getting a serviceable starter) but there are reports of the Pittsburgh Steelers signing him long-term soon.
Branden Albert is being shopped around by the Miami Dolphins, but he’s not technically a free agent yet.
If you’re a Jaguars fan, you’re hoping that the team and Beachum came to an understanding before this week. Otherwise, it’s not gonna be a fun 2017 on the left side of the line.