Out of the Box: Tashaun Gipson a Great Grab

Jacksonville Jaguars free safety Tashaun Gipson can have a major impact as he upgrades the position for 2016.

There were far more high profile acquisitions for the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, but perhaps no player will upgrade the position like new starting Free Safety Tashaun Gipson will do.

Even two days into training camp (yes, we know it’s only pyjama football), the range and playmaking potential of the former Cleveland Browns ballhawk has been notable and Gipson has earned the praise of coaches and teammates.

For the many Jaguars fans who have endured the lack of credible ‘centerfield’ players for many years, this represents a time of hope. The drafting of Reggie Nelson out of Florida in the first round in 2007 was meant to address the position and after some optimism in a 5 INT rookie year, Nelson regressed and his play in both the run and pass game emerged as unreliable over the 3 year tenure in Jacksonville. We of course note that Nelson turned his career around in his 6 seasons in Cincinnati, earning Pro Bowl honors.

General manager David Caldwell and Head Coach Gus Bradley set their sights on Gipson and were able to acquire a player they see as having huge upside and entering the prime of his career.

Post Nelson, the Jaguars looked again to Gator Country with Josh Evans and his limitations showed up on film where a shift to strong safety took place, and then free agent Sergio Brown didn’t provide the performance that the Jaguars needed. Undoubtedly, with a distinct lack of pass rush, the efforts of the secondary were further impacted, but it could be argued that the lack of a real presence at the back-end allowed QBs to be more aggressive and neutralize the rush.

General manager David Caldwell and Head Coach Gus Bradley set their sights on Gipson and were able to acquire a player they see as having huge upside and entering the prime of his career. Importantly for a team continually building, they were able to do so with what could be seen as a bargain contract – a 5 year $33 million deal.