2021 Free Agency: Grading the Jaguars' Major Investment in Shaquill Griffin
The Jacksonville Jaguars took their time to bring in a big fish during this week's legal tampering period, but they eventually made their first major splash by bringing home Shaquill Griffin, a native Floridan and one of the league's top free agent defensive backs.
Jacksonville's investment in Griffin is the largest they have put into a cornerback since they signed A.J. Bouye in 2017. According to SI.com's Albert Breer, the deal is a three-year agreement for $40 million, with $23.5 million guaranteed.
With Girffin, a former star at UCF, now in the fold, the Jaguars have two young cornerbacks to build their secondary around with him and 2020 No. 9 overall pick CJ Henderson. But just how much does Griffin impact the Jaguars' in the short-term and what grade do we give his addition?
How does he fit?
Like a glove.
How much the Jaguars paid for Griffin -- and the fact they opted to sign him over William Jackson -- will likely be debated for sometime, but his fit with the Jaguars is an unquestionably good one for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the Jaguars needed to add a starting-caliber cornerback in the worst way. They recently re-signed both Sidney Jones and Tre Herndon, but they needed an unquestioned starter across from CJ Henderson that they could rely on from week-to-week.
Griffin's consistency in Seattle was always the biggest question mark, but he has two things no other cornerback has in bunches: experience and ball production. Griffin has appeared in 57 games since being drafted in the third-round, starting 53 games for the Seahawks in the process.
Add in his six career interceptions and 48 pass deflections, and no other cornerback on the Jaguars' roster has his track record of production and availability. Griffin's three interceptions last year would have led all Jaguars defensive backs, a group that picked off eight passes all season.
Griffin, who will be 26 in Week 1, is a tall, long, and physical cornerback who complements Henderson's aggressive and athletic skill set well. He gives the Jaguars a cornerback who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash opposite of Henderson, who ran a 4.39 at last year's NFL Scouting Combine.
In terms of physical tools, Griffin is a terrific fit opposite of Henderson since it gives the Jaguars two cornerbacks who can run with receivers but also challenger bigger and stronger wideouts.
As for his scheme fit, Griffin likely couldn't have found a better defense for his skill set. It still remains to be seen exactly what kind of coverage scheme Cullen and the Jaguars will run, but if they run a defense similar to the Baltimore Ravens where Cullen is fresh off a four-year stint from, then it could be expected for them to run a healthy amount of press coverage.
As NFL Next Gen Stats explained, Griffin has historically been a much more productive and impactful cornerback when aligned in press coverage. Adding him to a defense that will be led by a coordinator who saw just how successful press coverage could be while in Baltimore makes sense for all parties.
Impact on the depth chart
This is where things are both interesting and simple when it comes to the addition of Griffin, especially considering the Jaguars had just re-signed outside cornerback Sidney Jones earlier in the day.
Henderson wasn't selected No. 9 overall to be a slot cornerback, even if it was from a past regime. He has the athletic ability to win from the slot, but the Jaguars would get much more value out of him by having him match up with athletic receivers on the outside. On the other hand, the Jaguars also aren't going to make Griffin a top-10 cornerback in terms of salary without planting him on the outside as well.
This would leave Jones as the odd man out in some ways. He could feasibly provide depth to both Henderson and Griffin, or he could compete with Tre Herndon, Josiah Scott, and a likely rookie for time in the slot. Jones didn't play in the slot at all in eight games for the Jaguars last season, but he did open 2018 as the Eagles' slot cornerback, so he has some experience in that regard.
Jones had an inside track to start across from Henderson once again before Griffin and the Jaguars agreed to terms, so he will be the player who sees the most movement.
But make no mistake; the Jaguars signed Griffin to line up on the outside and help take away the biggest receiving threats the other team has. Henderson has a bit more positional flexibility than he does as well, so it stands to imagine Griffin is the player you could securely lock into an outside spot.
Grade: B.
There is some risk involved with this signing. There is a good chance Griffin is more of a high-end No. 2 cornerback than he is a No. 1 cornerback, which is what the Jaguars paid him to be. With that said, if CJ Henderson develops then this will be a moot point.
Despite the Jaguars having to pony up a bit extra for Griffin, there are still a lot of reasons to like this deal if you are the Jaguars. Griffin gives them a young and ascending player who has flashed terrific talent at times. Add in his scheme fit and fit across from Henderson, and the fact that he gives the Jaguars three starting-quality cornerbacks, and this was a solid first big move for Urban Meyer and Trent Baalke.
This move also gets a bump in grade because it was one the Jaguars needed to make. They didn't necessarily need to sign Griffin or any cornerback, but they needed to add at least one impact defender in March -- eventually adding quality depth players only helps so much. Adding Griffin does exactly that considering his athleticism and ball production.
