The Jacksonville Jaguars have bolstered their depth along the offensive line by trading a late 2027 draft pick for New York Giants guard Daniel Faalele. The deal was first reported by Evan Barnes of Newsday Sports.
It’ll be a 2027 sixth-rounder going to New York, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union.
Jacksonville had a need at the position following several offseason injuries. Patrick Mekari was expected to keep his starting job at right guard, but he’s now in danger of missing the season opener (if not more time) after recently undergoing back surgery.
Cole Van Lanen is another projected starter with a murky recovery timeline; he’s currently on the PUP list as he works his way back from a knee injury sustained late last season.
Walker Little, Chuma Edoga, and Emmanuel Pregnon have also missed time during training camp.
“We came into camp with 16 (offensive linemen) and got down to about nine the other day,” head coach Liam Coen said after Wednesday’s joint practice with the Carolina Panthers.
“When you have some of those things occur, you want to continue to find guys that have done it, guys that have played in this league at a high level. [Faalele has] some big size, and I’m looking forward to getting to know him. But the experience is really what matters.”
Faalele was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Minnesota product started 1 game in his first two seasons, primarily serving as a backup swing tackle, before starting all 34 regular season games in the past two years at right guard. He earned PFF grades of 60.5 in 2024 (52nd among 83 guards) and 56.7 in 2025 (58th among 87 guards).
After the Giants hired former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, Faalele followed him to New York in free agency. He signed a one-year contract worth $1.402 million (Jacksonville will inherit a base salary of $1.215 million). Faalele was originally in line to start across from Jon Runyan, but then the Giants used the No. 10 pick they received in the Dexter Lawrence trade to draft Francis Mauigoa.
According to The Athletic, “Faalele was locked into the second-team offensive line for the first two weeks of training camp before the Giants bumped up rookie left tackle JC Davis to the second team. That shifted Marcus Mbow to second-team right tackle and slid Josh Ezeudu from tackle to guard. Faalele also ceded some second-team reps to Evan Neal in recent practices.”
As of today, I would guesstimate that Jacksonville’s 2026 Week 1 starting lineup will include Anton Harrison, Ezra Cleveland, Robert Hainsey, Van Lanen, and Little. One would assume that recent draft selections Pregnon, Wyatt Milum, and Jonah Monheim will also make the 53-man roster. It’ll be interesting to see who else the Jaguars keep between Mekari, Faalele, and Edoga.
Jags fans, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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