Jacksonville Jaguars: 4 players guaranteed to be better in 2021

3. Tre Herndon – Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback

You might be wondering what Tre Herndon is doing on this list. After all, he was one of the few healthy cornerbacks the Jags had last season. Moreover, head coach Urban Meyer and teammate Shaquill Griffin have spoken highly of the Vanderbilt product.

Sure, he started 12 games and played 91 percent of the team’s total snaps on defense. However, opposing quarterbacks weren’t afraid to throw the ball at him and he allowed a passer rating of 112.1 and a 68.8 percent completion rate. Furthermore, he posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 52.6 Now, these numbers aren’t that bad when you take into account the Jaguars’ pass rush was non-existent last season. Also, he had to lineup all over the field.

Herndon played 306 snaps in the slot and 531 out wide. He could see a surge in production this upcoming season if he doesn’t move around as much. This is entirely possible, as C.J. Henderson will be back in the lineup after missing time with a groin injury last season. Also, the team signed former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin in free agency. Both Griffin and Henderson can start outside and Herndon can handle slot duties.

If the new regime hadn’t liked what Herndon did last year, they wouldn’t have re-signed him this offseason. The fourth-year cornerback should benefit from the stability in the Jaguars’ secondary in 2021. Although he hasn’t been a bad player over the last two seasons, he hasn’t been great either. That could change that year.