Tashaun Gipson the most important acquisition of the offseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars
By Daniel Lago
The Jacksonville Jaguars spent a lot of money to acquire the services of Malik Jackson, but the former Denver Broncos star might not be the most important free agent signing.
If you haven’t been paying attention to the offseason, you’re going to be quite shocked when you see the Jacksonville Jaguars take the field in 2016, particularly when the defense is called upon. Not satisfied with what was one of the worst units in the entire NFL in 2015, general manager David Caldwell made it his mission to fix the defense.
We’ll have to wait until September to see if he actually succeeded, but he made a concerted effort by acquiring a handful of new starters. With all the big names coming to Jacksonville – Malik Jackson, Prince Amukamara, Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack – the most important one might be free safety Tashaun Gipson.
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Mike DiRocco agrees,
as he also thinks Gipson is the best acquisition of the offseason
.
"Jacksonville JaguarsSafety Tashaun GipsonThe Jaguars haven’t had a free safety capable of playing center field and going sideline to sideline in Gus Bradley’s three seasons. They do now in Gipson, whom they added as a free agent. That’s the most vital piece of Bradley’s defensive scheme, and Gipson’s presence allows the team to keep strong safety Johnathan Cyprien closer to the line of scrimmage, where he’s at his best. One signing impacted two positions. — Mike DiRocco"
I made all these points on a recent radio spot, specifically the trickle down effect of allowing Cyprien to play in the box more, but it needs to be emphasized. This is Cyprien’s last shot to prove he belongs on the team. He was a significant investment (the first selection in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft) and he hasn’t really improved over the course of the last 3 years. If he doesn’t thrive with a legitimate free safety next to him, then he’s going to get yanked.
Ultimately, I think James Sample is going to get a shot at strong safety and will likely complement Gipson well. Either way, Gipson allows whoever is at the other safety spot to roam around and have more of an effect in the running game.
Gipson’s presence will also help out the cornerbacks, which means less situations where guys like Davon House have to cover a tough receiver (DeAndre Hopkins) without help over the top.