JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton with their first two picks in the 2009 draft, it was thought the team had acquired bookend tackles for the next decade.
While that may still be the case, it hasn’t happened yet.
Injuries have resulted in Monroe starting at left tackle and Britton at right tackle in the same game just seven times the last two years. All came in the first half of the 2010 season. Britton suffered a shoulder injury in the eighth game against Kansas City, and two days later was placed on injured reserve.
Last year, a back injury restricted Britton to only four games and three starts. Two came as a left guard and in the one game he started at right tackle, against New Orleans, Monroe was out due to a shoulder injury.
“I think that with Eben and myself in there, consistently healthy, without guys shuffling in and out of the line, I think (quarterback) Blaine (Gabbert) will be confident with that,” Britton said. “He’ll be confident that he’s got some linemen in there that he can trust to be there every play with him.”
