Checking in on Aaron Colvin

Rookie cornerback Aaron Colvin didn’t play through games 1-10, but he has been able to make an impact in the last couple of games. His 41-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown against the New York Giants helped the Jags finally pull ahead and get closer to the win.

Head coach Gus Bradley thinks Colvin has done even better than just that fumble recovery, saying:

"He had a big impact. There were multiple times (Giants quarterback) Eli (Manning) went back and he was going to try to hit the slot, but the way (Colvin) played it, he took that read away and he went other ways."

More from Black and Teal

• Jacksonville Jaguars should welcome Derrick Henry into the kingdom
• Jaguars Rumors: Trent Baalke seems to be getting respect now
• Bold trade proposal has Jacksonville Jaguars shipping LT Cam Robinson
• Jaguars News: This division rival might be making a big move
• Former Jacksonville Jaguars S Johnathan Cyprien: “New Profession, Same Standards”

If Colvin is able to keep up a high level of play, then it’s possible he could be a major force in turning around the subpar secondary play the Jaguars have been suffering through so far this season.

However, despite the great fumble recovery, Colvin isn’t performing super well in the statistics that matter at his position. Colvin has been targeted 11 times over the past two weeks, allowing eight of those passes to be completed. That 72.7% caught puts him in the bottom third of cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus’s stats. Despite this, he still grades out positively overall by the stat-tracking agency.

Colvin’s percentage of catches allowed is behind Demetrius McCray’s 42.9% but ahead of Dwayne Gratz’s 76.9%, putting him in the middle of the two starting corners for the Jaguars. Gratz is routinely burned, so we’d like to see Colvin get closer to McCray’s better play.

Colvin has also suffered from missing tackles, per PFF. In the passing game they credit him with two missed tackles, just one less than Gratz who is tied with five others at the top with three. Keep in mind, this is only over the course of two games. Colvin’s missed tackles cannot become a trend if he hopes to fit into the Jaguars’ long term plans.

Right now, Colvin – despite his obvious play making impact – has not been great at his primary job: covering from the nickel position. He needs to improve here over the final four games. He’s a player the Jaguars and many of us fans were jazzed about after the draft and we’re excited to see him play. We’ll be more excited when that play rises to the high expectations we all had. Coach Gus Bradley thinks he’ll grow with playing time, saying “But we just feel like the only way he’s going to learn faster is by playing. Things like that play show that even though he’s still learning, he can still play fast.”