Rayshawn Jenkins: Signing with Jaguars ‘easy decision in my books’

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said in a sit-down with the local media that revamping the secondary would be a priority this offseason and they took aggressive steps in free agency to do so, signing cornerback Shaquill Griffin to a three-year $45 million deal and safety Rayshawn Jenkins to a four-year $35 million contract. The latter recently spoke to the media and talked about his decision to sign the Jags.

Jenkins says that the vision head coach Urban Meyer is trying to build in Jacksonville and the fact he’s “a Florida guy” made joining the Jaguars an “easy decision in his books”. He went on to expand on his comments and pointed out that Meyer hardly even lost in college and added that it was the perfect spot for him and his family.

Later in the press conference, Jenkins said that it will be interesting to see how creative Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen can get and expects him to use his players ‘to the best of their abilities throughout the defense’. He added that he likes playing all over the place and likes to be around the ball a lot and talked about his versatility as a player.

Jenkins says he plays dime, strong safety, free safety and pointed out that he started as a nickel, so he has vast experience playing all over the field, which is something he takes pride in. He says that once he got to the pros, he was surprised others didn’t play many positions and mentioned that coming where he came from, he had to play everything, so he’s used that to his advantage during his NFL career.

Rayshawn Jenkins gives the Jacksonville Jaguars’ secondary a boost.

The Jaguars needed to add as much talent as they could after finishing 1-15 last season. Although inadequate coaching certainly played a role in their losing record in 2020, their dearth of playmakers didn’t help matters. The team’s brass was aware they needed to give the roster a makeover and that’s what they have done in free agency.

Although the Jags will be able to keep adding talent in the 2021 NFL Draft, they should feel comfortable about the upgrades they have made to their roster in the last few days. Their secondary looks better than it did after the 2020 season and Rayshawn’s addition is a reason why.