Ronnie Harrison Establishing Himself as the Playmaker of Jacksonville's Secondary

The Jacksonville Jaguars' secondary has changed a lot since the team's fabled 2017 playoff run when it was filled with Pro Bowl players in Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, who were accompanied by solid playmakers such as Barry Church, Tashaun Gipson, and Aaron Colvin.

Now, A.J. Bouye is the only player left among the five after Colvin left in free agency following the 2017 season and the team parted ways with both Church and Gipson last year. Throw in the recent trade of Ramsey to the Rams for draft picks, and the 2019 Jaguars secondary is a new-look group.

As part of that turnover, the Jaguars have needed someone to step up as a playmaker. Seven games into the 2019 season, it appears second-year safety Ronnie Harrison is the defensive back capable of creating the big plays the Jacksonville defense desperately needs.

“I think he’s someone that just needs to keep continuing on the path he’s going and he can be, he is a good player for us now, but he has the ability, if he keeps working hard, to be an excellent player in this league,” Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said earlier this week.

Harrison has simply been a playmaker for a Jaguars defense that struggled to create game-changing plays during the early part of the season. Through three games, the Jaguars didn’t record a single turnover. In the last four games, the Jacksonville defense has created five turnovers and Harrison has been involved in three of those (two interceptions, one fumble recovery).

For Harrison, he takes pride in becoming a playmaker in his sophomore season but he also knows he is on a team that is filled with other players capable of making plays.

“Whatever it takes to win. I am trying to make plays,” Harrison told JaguarMaven Thursday. “I know my teammates are trying to make plays. Yannick (Ngakoue), Myles (Jack), everyone is trying to make plays. We all just want to win. Whatever it takes to win, whoever do it; the play don’t care who makes it. We are all just trying to fly around and have fun.”

Harrison has not been just a splash play defender for the Jaguars, either. He has been amongst their most consistent defenders ever since his Week 1 gaffe on a missed tackle attempt against Sammy Watkins that led to an early touchdown in the team’s 40-26 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Per numbers provided by Pro Football Reference, Harrison has been a stalwart defender in pass coverage this season. He has been targeted 20 times this year, his first season as a starter, and has allowed 10 receptions for 144 yards. He has recorded two interceptions and is allowing a 50.8 pass rating when targeted in coverage.

“Ronnie’s still a young player. I look at Ronnie as he continues to get better each week. I think he has all the ability to make plays for us, which I think he’s starting to show up,” Marrone said. “He’s a physical player, he has 41 tackles. He’s good, he has the ability to take away the ball, he has the ability to defend, too, which is important in man coverage.”

Harrison, a third-round draft selection in 2018, flashed as a rookie but his coaches and even he will be the first ones to admit this year is different. He has another year in the scheme and is now able to play without thinking as much, allowing him to go off of his impressive instincts instead.

“Being in my second year, I am more comfortable making the calls, playing in the scheme and the techniques and stuff like that,” Harrison said. “I know what I can and can’t do in the defense now, so really just timing and reps. That is the biggest thing.”

One underlooked aspect of Harrison’s growth in his second season is how his background has helped him make plays. The background includes time spent on offense during his formative and high school years, including time spent at quarterback.

Became of this background, Harrison is used to creating plays with the ball in his hands, and as defensive coordinator Todd Wash pointed out on Thursday, that ability shows up when he has a takeaway.

“Growing up I played offense, so I started out with the ball in my hands every play. I played quarterback, so I am naturally used to having the ball in my hands,” Harrison said.

“That is probably why when you see me get the ball on turnovers and stuff, I kind of hold it funny or different. I am just used to it.”

Ronnie Harrison intercepts Flacco and pulls out all the jukes on the return! #JAXvsDEN @RHarr_15

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Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/lm0vvtP8ei pic.twitter.com/2W4XENQnLE
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2019

The time spent at quarterback even helps Harrison as a defensive back. He is intuned with what a quarterback may be thinking or processing, and he says it has shown up on the field this season.

“That definitely helps out having that background. And that actually helps me make plays and stuff like that. I can kind of feel and know what the quarterback is kind of looking at and where he wants to go with the ball, so that helps me out,” Harrison said.

As the Jaguars move forward in life without Ramsey, they will continue to look for defensive backs who have the ability to make the big plays. But as of right now, it appears they have at least one in Harrison.