Insider expects Jaguars to ‘consider’ veteran free agent cornerbacks

With ample effective salary cap space available after free agency and the NFL Draft – $30,866,651, third highest in the league – Jacksonville can continue to improve its roster positions heading into the 2024 campaign. he wants it.

Despite selecting two cornerbacks in the draft, Jarrian Jones in the third round and Deantre Prince in the fifth round, this spot could arguably use more help.

Behind starters Tyson Campbell and Ronald Darby, Jacksonville’s group of cornerbacks totals 54 career starts. However, 36 belong to fifth-year corner Amani Oruwariye, who spent most of the 2023 season on the Jaguars’ practice squad and did not appear in a single game.

That leaves other veteran contributors averaging 3.6 career starts. The five non-Oruwariye reserves totaled 570 defensive snaps in 26 appearances and six starts, each by Montaric Brown, in 2023, an average of less than 100 snaps per player.

Asked by “Gavin from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada” about the possibility of Jacksonville adding a veteran to the room, with an eye on proven depth in case of injuries, Jaguars senior writer John Oehser shared his belief that the team will address the issue in its daily question and answer column on Thursday.

“I expect the Jaguars to consider this option,” Oehser wrote. “Rookie minicamp starts Friday. Organized team activities begin May 20. If the Jaguars feel at the end of May that there are positions that should be filled, I expect that signing free agents to those positions will be strongly considered.

Gavin highlighted current free agent cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson, Xavien Howard (whose March release from Miami included a post-June 1 designation), Stephon Gilmore and Patrick Peterson as candidates for a spot on Jacksonville’s roster. Each player was on the field for at least 65% of their team’s most recent defensive snaps in 2023.

Additionally, Jerry Jacobs, Steven Nelson, Ahkello Witherspoon and Fabian Moreau remain on the cornerback free agent market. Each has reached the same threshold for playing time in 2023 as the cornerbacks Gavin mentioned.

It’s worth noting that Jacobs reportedly met with the Jaguars after the draft. He left Jacksonville without signing with the team.