Sergio Brown To Jags: Signing Grade and Analysis

Sergio Brown will be leaving the rival Indianapolis Colts to bring his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The versatile safety will be coming on the cheap, a bargain at $7 million whether he ends up starting at free safety or backing up Johnathan Cyprien at strong safety. The Jags have locked him up for the next three seasons.

At this point, we aren’t entirely clear on what Brown will be doing for the Jaguars. He’s served as a free safety and a strong safety in the past and does not have extensive starting experience, though he did start eight games last season. His resume suggests he’ll likely be a reserve, but with the way the defensive secondary has been for the Jags over the past couple seasons, expect him to tack on at least a couple more starts.

It’s hard not to like Brown. His signing doesn’t just bring quality depth and potential starting stability to the Jags, he also brings a big personality, which is something the defense removed through the departure of Will Blackmon.

That extra bit of pizzazz is incredibly nice to see brought to Jacksonville. Some positive attention is always good. It’s even better if Brown is able to put together some nice plays for the Jags.

Brown is coming off a solid, if unspectacular, year in Indianapolis. Pro Football Focus has him graded out as their 24th ranked safety overall (20th in coverage, 38th against the run). That’s an improvement for the Jaguars, who have had perpetually disappointing players in at free safety over the past two years. He’s a decently sure tackler, something the Jaguars desperately need, coming away with just six missed tackles during the 2014 season.

Right now, solid and unspectacular is exactly what the Jaguars need. Josh Evans has been spectacularly bad at times and it will pay off tremendously to have someone come in who can be reliable. The impressively low 62.8 quarterback rating when throwing against him (Thanks, PFF) also helps.

Overall, this is a C+ signing. If Sergio Brown turns out to be brought to Jacksonville to be the starting free safety, then this could spell trouble. I’m not certain the Jags can rely on him to perform at a high enough level. But if he’s coming to Jacksonville as a reliable veteran insurance option, then it’s a pretty decent pickup. Dave Caldwell knew he had a need at free safety and went out and filled it.

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