JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Luke Joeckel is four days into the most important training camp of his football career, even if the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman doesn’t want to acknowledge it.
Joeckel is in the final year of his rookie contract and what he does over the next few weeks will determine whether he has a future in Jacksonville -- and if he does, at which position -- and if he even wants to remain with the team that drafted him second overall in 2013.
"Every camp’s important," Joeckel said. "This one’s extra important. I don’t know if I’m going into the mindset to call this the most important camp of my life and putting that kind of unneeded pressure [on himself]. I know what I need to do."
In his mind, that means beating out Kelvin Beachum, whom the Jaguars signed in March, and remaining the starter at left tackle. The two are rotating at left tackle and left guard, and the loser of the battle is expected to be the left guard.
Joeckel has to have the best camp of his pro career to do that. If he does win the job, he has a chance to sign a contract extension with the Jaguars. If he doesn’t win the job, he likely will spend the 2016 season at left guard. And since he’s always played tackle -- even dating back to his days in Pop Warner football -- it’s likely Joeckel wouldn’t stick around beyond this season and would instead opt to sign with another team that would give him a chance to play tackle.
He’s not thinking about anything beyond the next few weeks, though. He’s just focusing on keeping his starting job at left tackle.
"I’m just going to go out there and play with that confidence and consistency," Joeckel said. "It’s something that I’m going to keep building on every single week, every single day, and it’s something I haven’t always been on top of since I’ve been here but it’s something they’re going to get out of me now."
Joeckel has been a starter since the day he was drafted. He started the first four games of his rookie season at right tackle before being moved to left tackle after the team traded Eugene Monroe. He suffered a season-ending fractured ankle in his first start at that spot. Joeckel started every game in 2014 and 14 games in 2015, missing two with an ankle injury.
However, he has struggled, particularly against quicker rushers. Pro Football Focus tagged Joeckel with allowing eight sacks in 2014, but he did play better in 2015. The team says he allowed seven sacks, including five in the season finale against Houston.
The Jaguars signed Beachum, who has started 39 games (seven at right tackle) for the Steelers over the past four seasons, to a one-year contract that includes a four-year option that could make the deal worth $45 million over five seasons. If he were to win the starting job, the Jaguars could pick up the option and pay Beachum an average of $9 million annually, well below the $11-$12 million the Jaguars would have had to pay Joeckel had they picked up his fifth-year option in May.
Joeckel took the first rep at left tackle in team drills on Friday and Saturday (Beachum did individual work on Thursday) and has worked at guard when Beachum has been at tackle. Joeckel said it still feels weird with linemen on both sides of him.
"I know the job to do. It’s just the technique of doing it," Joeckel said. "In a lot of ways it’s not that much different. Everything’s just a little bit closer combat. You’ve got to be quicker with your hands. In certain ways I feel comfortable when a guy is tight on me and I can just get my hands on him, I feel comfortable in that, but the technique is different.
"... I’m just going out there playing. Having the right mindset to play with confidence and consistency at whatever position I’m at."
