Jaguars HC Urban Meyer provides key injury updates after win over Bills

Rudy Ford will continue to line in the slot for the Jaguars.

Throughout the year, Urban Meyer has spoken glowingly of safety Rudy Ford. The 2017 sixth-round pick has mostly played special teams during his fifth-year career, so it was fair to assume he would have a similar role in Jacksonville. That was the case early in the season but he’s gotten a bigger workload on defense since Week 6.

Against the Bills, Ford made his first start of the season, and the trust the team placed on him paid off, as he logged the first interception of his NFL career. Meyer has said several times the Auburn product is more than just a special teams player and he will continue to get playing time in the slot, as Tre Herndon hasn’t fully recovered from the MCL injury he suffered in the preseason.

Meyer told the media the team’s brass still believes in Herndon but they will go with Ford for the time being. Also, the coaching staff will help him continue to get acclimated to the position.

"He’s not done a lot of his main coverage, so that’s something we’re working on. Trying to get him up to speed on that. And we got to get Tre Herndon back. Tre is not been right since that need, so we still have a lot of confidence in him but Rudy played exceptional in that game."

This is the right call, as it doesn’t make sense to go with the former if he isn’t fully healthy. Also, Ford could turn out to be a fine nickel cornerback. Giving him more snaps in the slot is the only way to find out. In retrospect, signing him in free agency was a smart move. The Jaguars would surely like to keep playing the way he did in Week 9.