Should Jacksonville bring back Aaron Colvin?
When cornerback Aaron Colvin left the Jacksonville Jaguars for a higher paying contract with the Houston Texans after the 2017 season, many thought the Jaguars were losing a core defensive player who would now bolster a division rival's secondary.
About a year and a half later, the reality of the situation is far different. On Tuesday the Texans released Colvin after a porous 2018 season and a disastrous performance on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints.
Colvin's release has prompted many fans and analysts alike to wonder out loud if Jacksonville should bring back their former longtime slot corner, who was replaced by D.J. Hayden in 2018.
The call to bring back Colvin grew loud partially because the Jaguars once-elite secondary was absolutely shredded by Kansas City Chiefs offense in a 40-26 loss Sunday.
So, when considering both Colvin's fit in the scheme and the roster construction, should Jacksonville bring Colvin back into the fold?
Cornerback logjam
Against the Chiefs, the Jaguars were in nickel defense on 58 of their 68 plays. On each of those plays, the team trotted out Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye on the perimeter while Hayden slid inside, and safeties Jarrod Wilson and Ronnie Harrison made up the rest of the secondary. On the other 10 plays, the Jaguars used 4-3 under formations, having Hayden come off the field for strongside linebacker Leon Jacobs.
This means that the team never once used four cornerbacks on the field at the same time. Cornerback Tre Herndon played only two defensive snaps all game, and that was because Ramsey left a series with leg cramps. The strategy to keep three corners, two safeties and two linebackers on the field for the majority of the game has been the Jaguars defensive scheme since the days of Gus Bradley and it has continued with defensive coordinator Todd Wash.
So, if Colvin was brought in to play cornerback, he would simply be a special teams player and an insurance option in case of injuries. He would not take Hayden's place after the veteran replaced Colvin with ease in 2018, totaling one more regular season interception in one year in the defense than Colvin did his entire Jaguars career.
Simply put, Colvin would only really see the field at corner if Jacksonville lost one of three starters. In the world of the NFL, that is something that is almost likely to happen at one point.
Colvin knows the Jaguars scheme inside and out due to his years as a starter, but the team likes their young corners in Tre Herndon and Breon Borders. They know what Colvin provides, so it would make more sense for the team to see what their young backups offer in the case of injury.
Can he play safety?
After Harrison and, to a lesser extent Wilson, struggled vs the Chiefs, many have called for an addition of a safety. With Colvin's release, many pondered out loud if he could play in a safety role and bolster the Jaguars defense.
When looking at Colvin's career with the Jaguars and the Texans, though, it is clear that the further Colvin is from the line of scrimmage, the less he produces and the more he struggles.
Colvin was at his best as a Jaguar when he was allowed to blitz or make plays as a run defender in the box. In coverage, he performed well when he could keep the play in front of him, but struggled when plays developed deep.
Colvin's strengths as a player are evident in his stats over four seasons worth of regular season games for Jacksonville: 12 tackles for loss, 8 quarterback hits, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 0 interceptions. Putting him at safety would be a poor fit for his skillset and could produce less than desirable results.
Colvin was a useful player in Jacksonville's zone coverage heavy scheme because it allowed him to do what he did best and use his physicality to affect plays before they ever really developed.
But with the Jaguars use of cornerbacks mixed in with their current stable of players combined with Colvin's likely inability to play safety, then it doesn't make much sense to bring him back to Jacksonville, even with the issues in the secondary.
With that said, Colvin does know the scheme well and clearly was a better fit in Jacksonville than in Houston, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the team sign him. It just likely wouldn't be the impact signing some may hope it would be.
