Grading the Jaguars 2021 Free Agents: S Rayshawn Jenkins
Despite entering last year's free agency cycle with some of the most available cap space in the entire NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't make many home run swings on the open market.
They did, however, spend enough money to qualify among the league's highest-spenders, a result of the Jaguars taking a quantity-based approach to free agency under former head coach Urban Meyer and incumbent general manager Trent Baalke.
So, which Jaguars free agents stood out and which failed to meet expectations during the 3-14 campaign? In an effort to review Baalke's latest free agency class, we have opted to go through each player on a case-by-case basis, first looking at Shaquill Griffin and Chris Manhertz.
Now, we take a look back at the defensive side of the ball with safety Rayshawn Jenkins. Jenkins was one of the Jaguars' most significant additions last offseason, with the Jaguars signing the former Chargers safety to a four-year, $35 million deal with $16 million in guarantees that made Jenkins a relative big-money signing considering the rest of the safety market.
What happened in Jenkins' first year with the Jaguars and what does it mean moving forward?
What Went Right
It wasn't often that Rayshawn Jenkins was an actual issue for the Jaguars' defense. Their run defense was at its best early in the year when they played more single-safety looks and allowed Jenkins to make plays in the box, something he had fewer chances to do as the season went on and the Jaguars shifted to more of a two-high, zone-based defense.
Jenkins was also overall a sound tackler for a Jaguars defense that was among the NFL's leading units in missed tackles. According to Pro Football Reference, Jenkins missed just eight tackles and had a missed tackle rate of 9.9%, the third-best among defensive backs. There were not many instances of Jenkins being a liability as a tackler in space or in traffic, traits that were not considered strong suits during his time with the Chargers.
Jenkins was a much-needed veteran voice in the secondary and the locker room as well. There were few players on the defense as seasoned and experienced as Jenkins, and his vocal form of leadership played a big role in him earning a nod as a defensive captain. In terms of finding the right culture fit in free agency, the Jaguars appear to have hit the mark with Jenkins.
What Went Wrong
Jenkins missed the last couple of games with an ankle injury, but before then he was mostly a consistent face in the lineup. But despite never having any challenges to his starting role in the defense, there was a noticeable lapse in impact plays from the free agent safety. This was the case with the entire Jaguars defense and not just Jenkins, but the trend started as early as Week 1 when Brandin Cooks just barely beat out Jenkins on a deep ball. In a game of inches, the Jaguars and Jenkins too often failed to make the big play.
While Jenkins had a lot of work to help cover up for rookie cornerback Tyson Campbell, the Jaguars signed him to the deal they did with the presumption that he would be an impact player in Joe Cullen's defense. Instead, they got a steady but unspectacular season of production out of the Miami Hurricanes product. Jenkins finished the season with zero interceptions and three pass deflections while recording one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and zero sacks.
Jenkins also had a team-high six defensive penalties, with several of the penalties coming in bad spots and high-leverage situations. While Jenkins was a consistent player for the Jaguars in terms of execution, there were too many instances of him allowing the opposing offense to gain an advantage thanks to a correctable mistake.
Overall
Jenkins had an overall fine season for the Jaguars, with the veteran safety rarely being one of the major culprits of the struggling unit. Still, there is a scale when it comes to grading high-priced free agents, and Jenkins is one of the few free agents the Jaguars gave a significant contract to.
Overall, Jenkins makes sense as a C-signing based on his first year with the Jaguars. It isn't lower because he was never a liability for the defense, but it also isn't higher because he struggled like the rest of the unit when it came to making game-changing plays.
