Anton Harrison’s season is over. The Jaguars’ starting left tackle tore the ACL in his right knee, and doctors found it during surgery on Thursday, Oct. 22, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The hope going in was a simple arthroscopic procedure. Instead, there was more damage than expected.
Harrison got hurt in Jacksonville’s Week 5 win over the Eagles in London on Oct. 11. ESPN’s Michael DiRocco reported that he went down while blocking on a Bhayshul Tuten sweep to the right, grabbed his right knee and was carted off. The Jaguars moved him to injured reserve two days later, on Oct. 13.
So there’s no new roster move here. What changed is the timeline: a stint on IR has turned into a lost season.
He’d just moved to the blind side
Harrison, the 27th overall pick in 2023, played his first three seasons at right tackle before the Jaguars flipped him to the left side in training camp. The early returns were solid. ESPN had him 39th among offensive tackles in pass block win rate at 83.7%, a few spots behind right tackle Cole Van Lanen at 84.4%.
The money side is settled for now. Jacksonville picked up his fifth-year option in April, and Athlon Sports reports that option is worth $19.072 million for 2027 and became fully guaranteed once it was exercised. He gets paid next season either way.
As for who’s next, SI’s Jaguar Report says Walker Little is now the left tackle. Second-year lineman Wyatt Milum looks like the likeliest swing tackle, though most of his NFL snaps have come at guard or as an extra lineman. Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele are the other options in the room.
Why it matters
McGraw Media’s read: Jacksonville is better set up to absorb this than most teams would be. Little was a well-paid lineman sitting behind Harrison, and that’s exactly the kind of insurance you hope you never cash in. The real worry is one layer down. At 4-2, the Jaguars are firmly in the mix, and one more tackle injury would push a guard-first second-year player into a starting role. With the trade deadline a few weeks out, a veteran swing tackle makes a lot more sense than a splashy name. For Harrison, it’s a rough way to end his first year on the blind side, and the guaranteed option at least takes the contract stress off the table while he rehabs.
This story was drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked by McGraw Media.
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