OTA Headlines: Position changes a common theme so far . . .
There are lots of headlines coming out of OTAs this year - the biggest headline might be the many position changes for Jaguars players this year.
There are several key players that are switching or altering their positions this year for the Jaguars.
Brandon Linder, who is by far the Jaguars best offensive lineman, is moving from guard to center this year. He has excelled at guard during his short time in the league, but the Jags feel confident that he can be the captain of the offensive line in 2016. He has already switched to taking all his reps at center and has been hitting the books and the practice field hard, working to master his craft. He and third year quarterback Blake Bortles have been working hard to establish chemistry.
Luke Joeckel, the former second overall pick, has been a major disappointment so far in his career. The Jaguars brought in a new left tackle to push/replace Joeckel this offseason in Kelvin Beachum. With that said, Joeckel is now taking reps at guard, which could indicate that the Jaguars are trying to find a place for him to remain a starter, or just trying to see if he has any value on the interior. Either way one thing is clear: Joeckel likely won't be the Jaguars starting left tackle in 2016.
Ryan Davis, who has recorded 10 sacks over the past two seasons, will have a position that is new to the Jaguars in 2016. He will play the role of the "LOTTO" which is a hybrid of the "LEO" (pass rusher) and "OTTO" (strong side linebacker). In the past he has excelled as a pass rusher on third downs, but the Jaguars will look to utilize his speed and quickness this year as a linebacker. Davis lost a lot of weight this offseason and made it clear that he is excited about the new role.
​James Sample, who was a fourth round pick in 2015, will now be exclusively a strong safety, after the Jaguars played him at free safety his rookie season. Sample was injured for much of 2015, and with the addition of free safety Tashaun Gipson, the Jags will put Sample at his more natural position of strong safety. Sample will push John Cyprien for the starting strong safety job this offseason and could just be in the Jaguars starting lineup this year if Cyprien is unable to improve in the Jaguars simplified strong safety role in 2016.