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With Jaguars OL injuries mounting, Cooper Hodges is next up to protect QB Trevor Lawrence
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- With Jaguars OL injuries mounting, Cooper Hodges is next up to protect QB Trevor Lawrence
Jacksonville Jaguars guard and Baker County native Cooper Hodges could have big shoes to fill.
Sunday against the Green Bay Packers , the Jaguars lost both starting guards at different points in the contest. Brandon Scherff suffered a knee injury late in the second quarter before returning in the second half. After 15 minutes of game time, left guard Ezra Cleveland suffered an ankle injury and did not return.
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Hodges replaced both players, logging 29 (21 on offense) snaps through the end of the contest and playing as the ultimate swing guard.
WHAT YOU MISSED: Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson addresses injuries, pass rush and Cam Robinson
Cooper Hodges focused on protecting Trevor Lawrence , helping Jaguars win
Aug 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Cooper Hodges (75) shown on the field against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Hodges was drafted by the Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent last season on the team's injured reserve list due to a knee injury suffered in the preseason. Sunday marked the first time in his career that he's played more than one snap in a game.
The Baker County native said Monday during the open locker room period that he was just getting his feet wet.
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"It was good. Just kind of dipping my toes in, getting used to it and just going out there... I got two, two-minute situations. You're coming in off the sideline like 'alright, try not to let them hit Trevor', that's kind of what the whole gameplan is," Hodges said.
During his two two-minute drives, the Jaguars capitalized with 10 points added — a field goal and a touchdown.
The challenge Hodges faced Sunday stemmed from switching from right guard to left guard, something he said Monday was more of a mental transition than a physical one.
"It's different. You kind of got to think backward, essentially. It's the same thing, just going the other way. I think it's more of a mind thing than a physical thing... but it definitely is different," Hodges explained.
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Hodges explained that having veteran center Mitch Morse next to him helped ease him into the role.
"He's a 10-year vet. He knows exactly what he's doing. He looked at me when I was walking and said 'all you gotta do is just throw your hands. If you're gonna miss, miss swinging,' and I just took that as OK, that's what I'm gonna do. Just keying in on him, listen to what he says," said Hodges.
Hodges said he wanted to keep the offensive line's chemistry going as the game progressed, explaining that when he went in at left guard he tried to emulate Cleveland and vice versa for Scherff at right guard.
"Go in there, keep the chemistry. I'm just like everybody else, still one of them, just like a starter. Keep the same chemistry going," Hodges said.
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"Luckily, I've been able to watch Brandon and Ezra, they're both great players. So just being able to model my game after them, whenever I get to go in there is what I try to do," he later added.
Doug Pederson breaks down Cooper Hodges' performance vs. Packers
It wasn't perfect for Hodges when he was thrown into the fire Sunday.
According to Pro Football Focus, the second-year guard out of Appalachian State was logged as allowing two pressures, including one hit and a hurry in 21 plays with 12 true pass sets. He finished with a pass block grade of 30.4.
But Pederson was impressed by Hodges' toughness and isn't wavering in his confidence if he does have to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles .
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"Tough," Pederson said when asked Monday about Hodges' performance. "He plays right guard, then he has to go into at tight end for PAT, field goal, then he has to go left guard. He was all over the place."
"It wasn't perfect, but if he has to go this week with a week of preparation, a week of practice, getting all the reps, all that kind of stuff, he'll be much better. It was good for him to play just to kind of feel game speed a little bit, and did some good things, but I think a week of work if that's the case will do him good."
Pederson said Monday that Cleveland will be "day to day" going into the weekend and said Scherff is "going to be sore," but should be okay for this weekend against the Eagles.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Cooper Hodges is next-man-up with OL injuries mounting
