Where the Jaguars' Secondary Stands Now: Safety Unit Shows First Signs Of Change
Following the rush of NFL free agency signings, the Jacksonville Jaguars secondary remains an enigma; front-loaded with big names and content to build the backend around two to three pillars. There are still areas ripe for improvement in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft, but it’s also a section of the roster that received a ton of attention in recent drafts and free agency.
So following the opening of the free agent market this 2021 offseason, and in preparation for the draft, we examine where the Jaguars’ secondary currently stands. Next up, we look at safety.
Related: Where the Jaguars' Secondary Stands Now: Cornerback Room Has A New Alpha
The safety unit has been stripped, plundered, and thrown together with spare parts until the 2020 offseason. Before the 2020 season began, Ronnie Harrison was traded to the Cleveland Browns. Andrew Wingard and Jarrod Wilson were the only two safeties on the 2019 opening day roster to also be on the 2020 opening day roster. But unlike corner, there hasn't been much done to replenish the unit.
The Jaguars added Josh Jones through free agency and Auburn’s Daniel Thomas in the draft, to put four safeties on the roster for the start of the 2020 season. The unit did prove to be decent ball-hawks, hauling in five of the defense’s 12 interceptions during the season.
There were no huge names or Pro-Bowlers in the safety unit (Wilson and Wingard both entered the league as undrafted free agents), but production never dropped. It also never peaked. Under new head coach Urban Meyer and new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen though, the Jaguars coaching staff had to decide, were they confident in the pieces already in place—enough so to see what their ceiling could be—or did they want to re-haul the unit, beginning in free agency.
The answer became a little of both.
All four of the original 2020 safeties are still on the roster: Wilson, Wingard, Thomas and Jones. All return with starting experience. Thomas worked his way into the coaches trust after spending the first half of the season on special teams, paying dues and blocking a punt he returned for a touchdown. His season was cut short though in Week 11 when a shoulder injury knocked him out of the game and remainder of the schedule.
Wilson’s years of experience (six) made him the veteran amongst a young crew, but he missed three weeks in the first quarter of the season with a hamstring injury. He has one more year on his current contract with the Jaguars.
Wingard has developed into a capable starter with a nose for the ball, evidenced in his two interceptions during the season, both off of Phillip Rivers, one in Week 1 and the second in the final week of the season.
Josh Jones, signed after one year with the Dallas Cowboys and two years with the Green Bay Packers, spent three games on IR with a chest injury. Otherwise, he started all 13 games in which he appeared at strong safety, forming the other half of the duo primarily with Jarrod Wilson.
Jones became a free agent after the season and tested the market for a couple of weeks before ultimately re-signing with the Jaguars.
But the staff wasn’t done—and likely still isn’t—signing Los Angeles Chargers safety Rayshawn Jenkins in free agency. In his four years with the Chargers, Jenkins accumulated 174 tackles (seven for loss), 1.5 sacks and five interceptions.
Jenkins is more valuable as a free safety, using his instincts to freelance. But he brings a background that means he can be plugged in wherever coaches need him in the secondary.
“I like just playing all over the place,” Jenkins told local media after joining the Jaguars.
“I like to be around the ball a lot, [there are] better opportunities, but I play all over the place. I play dime, I play strong safety, I play free safety. I started in this league as a nickel, so I play all over the field. That’s a part of my game where I really take pride in. Once I got to the NFL, I was actually surprised how people didn’t play multiple positions. Coming from where I came from, we had to play everything, so I kind of use that to my advantage and it’s been working.”
The club also added Rudy Ford in free agency, albeit in more of a special teams role.
So where does the secondary stand now in terms of the safety position? Well, it looks much the same as it did a year ago. With the addition of Jenkins, there will inevitably be a battle for the free safety starter in camp. The potential of adding another safety in the NFL Draft (Trevon Moehrig of TCU anyone) the safety unit could look much different come fall.
