December 15, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) scores a touchdown past Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Kevin Rutland (22) during the third quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Jaguars 41-14. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars have released safety Dawan Landry and cornerback Aaron Ross.  With the announcement that veteran cornerback Rashean Mathis will not be returning, the likely big offer that cornerback Derek Cox will sign with another team, and the potential loss of renaissance corner William Middleton to free agency as well, the Jaguars are now extremely slim on defensive backs.

When March 12, the start of free agency, rolls around the defensive secondary will consist of:

Cornerbacks:

• Kevin Rutland
• Mike Harris

Strong Safety:

• Antwon Blake

Free Safety:

• Dwight Lowery
• Chris Prosinski

Harris worked his way into the starting lineup over Mathis and Ross.  Rutland is a depth guy and does not see the field regularly.  Antwon Blake is a depth guy and will likely as not turn into a starting caliber safety.  He was an undrafted free agent from the class of 2012.  Prosinski started while Lowery was injured for part of last season and was an absolute disaster.  Lowery is the only quality safety left on the roster and Harris is arguably the only quality cornerback left.

The Jaguars will need to be active in free agency to fill these holes.  Whether they manage to re-sign Cox or not, the team will need two more corners at least and preferably two or three more safeties (with the removal of Prsosinski, who is widely believed among the fan base to be expendable).

The Jaguars have created more holes for themselves as the team gears up for a complete overhaul.  The roster evaluation is starting to show that many players simply do not produce on a level that GM Dave Caldwell would like.

We’ll have to see how the Jags address the massive needs in the secondary.  It seems likely some draft picks will be given a shot, but if the team wants to stick to its goal of not spending big in free agency, the team may have a lot of young players fighting for starting spots – or outright starting – at the start of the season.

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

Most Jaguars fans, however, are familiar with just how bad our secondary was. Wait, not just our secondary, but our entire defense was bad. I shouldn’t have to post numbers and stats for you to understand just how bad it was, so I won’t. You didn’t need numbers to see the proof in 2012.

November 8, 2012; Jacksonville FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end George Selvie (91) during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier in the week, I posted an article discussing what the Jaguars might do with their own free agents. What I didn’t talk about was who under contract might be released. The Jaguars are eating $3.9 million, and Caldwell has been very open about how moves like this will be “performance based” which is great. We as fans deserve much better than what we’ve fielded the last five years.The Jaguars also did not extend tenders to RFAs DE George Selvie, FB Brock Bolen, LB Kyle Bosworth, TE Zach Potter, C John Estes, and WR Jordan Shipley. Selvie is a journeyman who didn’t have much left to offer, Brock Bolen wasn’t on the field in 2012, Bosworth was, well, Bosworth, and we never really saw much of John Estes but yet there he was on the roster for the last two years albeit on IR most of the time.

I’m somewhat surprised about the other two. I thought Potter did pretty decent as a blocking TE, but he’s more than replaceable. The one that is truly shocking is Jordan Shipley. He showed something towards the end of last season with 23 catches for 244 and a TD after joining the team in late November, but this new regime obviously wants to go in a new direction.

Guy Whimper was shown the door last week. Rashean Mathis was notified he won’t receive a contract on Monday. Could this just be the beginning?

Free agency is inching closer and closer. Derek Cox, Terrance Knighton, Brad Meester, Greg Jones, Daryl Smith…only Meester and Jones look as if they have a chance of returning.

Gene Smith had a roster mainly comprised of journeymen cast-offs like Selvie, projects like Estes, UDFAs with low ceilings like Potter, free agent busts like Ross and Landry, and small school prospects drafted high like Cox and Knighton.

I’m a fan of college free agency. I’m a fan of developing players with pro potential. I’m a fan of small school prospects with big time game, but you cannot build an NFL roster full of players like that. I think players who fall in this category are important because every team needs role players and quality depth, but when you’re starting Kyle Bosworth in lieu of Daryl Smith, something has gone terribly wrong.

This is the make over fans have been waiting for. Expect more of these moves in the coming days. Soon we’ll have a much clearer vision of who Caldwell and Bradley consider to be the core of this team, and how the new roster will be constructed.

-David R. Johns

November 20, 2011; Cleveland, OH , USA; Jacksonville Jaguars free safety Dawan Landry (26) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric P. Mull-USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Dawan Landry is expected to be released later on Friday.  Lnadry has been a starting safety for the Jaguars over the past two season.  This past season he proved to be the 9th most overvalued safety in the league.

Jaguars releasing S Dawan Landry today.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2013

Landry would count $3.9M dead money. … Previous staff disappointed in his range late last year. #jaguars

— Ryan O’Halloran (@ryanohalloran) March 8, 2013

Landry came with Dwight Lowery to the Jaguars and provided an immediate upgrade at safety for the team.  However, his play is easily the weak link behind Lowery’s much better performances.  With the release of Landry, the Jags will likely need two safeties, with the underwhelming Chris Prosinski remaining on the roster (for now) behind Lowery.

Landry posted six passes defensed, three interceptions, half a sack, and was in on 196 tackles during his two years with the Jaguars.  Pro Football Focus had this to say about Landry’s 2012 season:

Landry’s season was dragged down by three poor performances against Houston, Detroit, and Buffalo. Still, even without those poor games he didn’t offer much beyond average, not excelling in any part of his game. Average players shouldn’t be making that kind of money, even less so when they are prone to a few poor games per season.

This move makes the Jaguars a potential suitor for a second tier safety and possibly interested in picking up a higher-caliber safety in the 2013 draft.

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims