Grading Jaguars position groups on defense ahead of 2022 offseason

Grading Jaguars’ position groups on defense – Safeties.

The Jaguars made several additions to their safety group last season. Besides bringing back Josh Jones, they signed Rudy Ford and Rayshawn Jenkins in free agency. If that wasn’t enough, they selected Andre Cisco out of Syracuse with the first pick of the third round in the 2022 NFL Draft. The newcomers joined Jarrod Wilson, Andrew Wingard, and Daniel Thomas, who showed flashes in 2020 before an arm injury cut his rookie season short.

Wilson had started a combined 28 games in 2019 and 2020 but was let go before the start of the regular season. Jones didn’t make the cut either and was released too. Wingard and Jenkins were the starters in Week 1. Cisco got a few snaps in the first two games of the year but his workload decreased considerably as the season progressed, and was mostly relegated to special teams duties. However, the former Orangeman started the last two outings of the season and went on to show the athleticism and range that made him a playmaker in college.

Jenkins wasn’t particularly great in 2021 and didn’t make many big players. Furthermore, he missed the last three games of the year with an ankle injury. The coaching staff needs to consider having him compete in training camp to get his starting job back, as the Jaguars’ defense was arguable better with Cisco and Thomas in the lineup.

Wingard should also compete for a starting job. He snagged an interception against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 but wasn’t particularly great against the run and missed an alarming 21 percent of his tackling attempts. The Jags could roll with the same safety group this year as long as they give Thomas and Cisco a legitimate shot to earn feature roles.

Final 2021 grade: C-