The Jacksonville Jaguars completed a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for offensive guard Ezra Cleveland. The Jaguars traded the Carolina Panthers’ 6th-round pick to Minnesota for Ezra Cleveland. Cleveland is in the last year of his rookie deal and comes to the Jaguars to become their starting left guard. In a corresponding move, the Jaguars released former fourth-round pick Ben Bartch.
Jaguars Trade Breakdown
Former Vikings OG Ezra Cleveland (72) – Cooper Neill/Getty Images
It’s not the Minnesota and Jacksonville trade that many expected, but the Jacksonville Jaguars acquired talent from the Vikings. Ezra Cleveland is a quality offensive guard and would immediately fill in nicely at left guard for the Jaguars. With the bye week upon the Jaguars, it will allow Cleveland and the offensive line to get up to speed together.
Looking at Cleveland’s performance in 2023, he’s shown to be a top-flight offensive lineman. His PFF grades are impressive and is within the top 10 offensive guards amongst offensive guards with at least 200 snaps. Cleveland in 2023 has 248 pass-blocking snaps and has allowed 10 pressures and one sack.
The Jaguars trade acquisition has a very solid PFF offensive grade at 73.8, with his run blocking grade being 72.8 and his pass blocking grade 72.3. This move is for a great offensive guard, and the cost wasn’t too steep. Being on an expiring contract means the Jaguars didn’t have to offload a lot of valuable assets for him, which is exactly what the Jaguars could do with so many assets tied up in the Calvin Ridley deal.
With the injuries along the offensive line that the Jaguars have had to deal with, and frustrating play from the backups who have come in to replace them, the Jaguars had a big need at offensive guard. A Jaguars trade for an offensive lineman was one of the top needs entering the NFL trade deadline.
Regardless of whether Walker Little could stay healthy, there was a clear need for offensive line help. This move is a cheap solution to the offensive line issues and one that is well worth it for a Jaguars team that is heading into the bye week with momentum and deep playoff aspirations.
Ezra Cleveland, in his trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars, reunites with his former offensive line coach Phil Rauscher from when Rauscher was in Minnesota. It’s a move that makes a ton of sense for the Jaguars, and despite this deal being the only deadline move for the Jaguars, it’s a deadline that accounts for the future and present by acquiring extra protection for Trevor Lawrence.
Opinions on the Jaguars Trade
Former Jaguars OL Ben Bartch (78) – Peter Joneleit/AP
It may be a disappointing deadline for some, as the star pass-rushers weren’t acquired by the Jaguars. But Chase Young and Montez Sweat were expensive commodities, and the Jaguars weren’t going to match the offers made to the Commanders.
By adding Ezra Cleveland, the Jaguars had to free up a roster spot and did so by releasing Ben Bartch. Bartch was a draft favorite and hasn’t quite lived up to the hype for the Jaguars. There are a lot of tough moves to make, and the Jaguars had a challenging one with releasing Bartch after the Jaguars traded for Ezra Cleveland. He will most likely find his way onto a roster, or practice squad at worst, as experienced offensive linemen are a dime a dozen.
For this deal, it’s exactly the type of deal that good teams make while using limited resources. The Jaguars didn’t have as much to work with as some of the other teams, but they did have needs. Those needs were pass rush help, interior offensive line help, and cornerback depth.
Before the 2023 season began, I made a list of the Jaguars trade targets. Danielle Hunter was the big trade target, while Noah Igbinoghene was the cornerback depth. The other player that I mentioned as a trade target was Ezra Cleveland, who the Jaguars acquired at the trade deadline.
Ezra Cleveland was acquired for a 6th round pick, while I predicted he would cost a fifth. Of course, trade values change, and Ezra Cleveland has seemingly gone underrated after a strong start to 2023. The Vikings were most likely not going to retain Cleveland, especially with their other offensive linemen playing fairly well. It’s a Jaguars trade that protects their franchise quarterback and makes the Jaguars a deeper offensive line.
