JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Here’s a number to put in the back of your mind for the 2018 season: 345.

That’s the Jacksonville Jaguars' single-season record for most rushing attempts by a single player. It was set in 2003 by Fred Taylor, and it’s in jeopardy in light of the team’s signing of free-agent guard Andrew Norwell. The addition of the 2017 first-team All-Pro should give running back Leonard Fournette a shot at breaking Taylor’s mark.

“Obviously we have a philosophy of how we’re going to play and what we want to do and [Norwell] fits all of those: tough, nasty, run blocker, very good pass protector,” general manager Dave Caldwell said Thursday.

The Jaguars, as a team, led the NFL in rushing attempts (527), yards (2,262), and average per game (141.4), but their production dropped off significantly over the final six games. The Jaguars averaged 51.3 fewer rushing yards per game from Weeks 12 through 17 than they did in the first 11 games. They managed to surpass 100 yards rushing just twice in their final six contests.

Fournette ran for 1,040 yards as a rookie, but he only averaged 3.9 yards per carry. He had 268 carries but missed three games (two because of an injury and the other as a disciplinary measure).

Inconsistency in the interior offensive line play was an issue the Jaguars needed to address and they did it by signing the player that helped the Carolina Panthers rank in the top 10 in rushing the last four seasons. The 6-foot-6, 316-pound Norwell -- whose annual salary of $13.3 million makes him the highest-paid guard in NFL history -- sounds like the perfect fit from a physical and mental standpoint.

“Come out, run the ball, you set the tempo and that’s something teams, they don’t like -- [the] defensive line -- when you go out and set the tempo, set the run game, and get after guys,” Norwell said. “You keep pounding them and keep pounding them and sometime their will is going to break. I love the mentality here, especially on the offensive side. It’s something I look forward to.”

Norwell spent the past four seasons in Carolina after joining the Panthers as an undrafted free agent despite being a three-time All-Big Ten selection (twice as a first teamer). He started 45 of the 48 games over the past three seasons, including 38 in a row.

The fact that he just signed a contract that guaranteed him $30 million isn’t making him forget that he wasn’t drafted, though.

“I’m a really self-motivated guy,” Norwell said. “All I knew was I needed an opportunity to get my chance, and that came my rookie year and I never looked back and I’m not going to look back and I’m going to continue to play with a chip on my shoulder.”

Norwell will slide into the starting spot at left guard next to second-year left tackle Cam Robinson and that instantly makes the left side of the line the offense’s strength. Expect to see Fournette running to the left side late in games as the Jaguars try to secure victories. That was hit-and-miss last season, and coach Doug Marrone said the team’s inability to run the ball efficiently in the fourth quarter was a big reason the Jaguars couldn’t hold a 10-point lead against New England in the AFC Championship game.

Fournette had an especially tough time running on first down in the second half of the 24-20 loss to the Patriots. He gained only 15 yards on 10 carries. Five of those carries gained either 1, 0, or negative yards.

That’s why targeting Norwell was Caldwell’s top priority in free agency.

“We had a distinct need there at left guard,” Caldwell said. “Patrick [Omameh] was a free agent and we looked and see where we can upgrade and we can who we can upgrade it with. We felt like he was the best guard out there and maybe one of the best players out there in free-agency period, in terms of his ability and what he’s accomplished and how he played this past year.”

If Norwell makes the kind of impact the Jaguars hope the run game should thrive -- and Fournette will put Taylor’s record in jeopardy.