4 players the Jaguars can still sign on first official day of free agency

No. 3 free agent the Jaguars can still sign – Steven Nelson, CB.

Cornerback isn’t among the Jaguars’ top needs this offseason but they could certainly add depth to the position in free agency or the NFL draft. After all, they have a pair of starting corners in Shaquill Griffin and Tyson Campbell but they need to be prepared in case either one of them has to miss time. Last season, Nevin Lawson and Tre Herndon saw the field often but the two of them became free agents and are available in the open market.

While the Jags could eventually bring back one (or both) of them, they could also pursue Steven Nelson, who is a free agent after signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason.

A third-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2015 NFL Draft, Nelson joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. Throughout his seven-year career, he’s appeared in 98 games with 84 starts and has logged eight interceptions, 59 passes defensed and one forced fumble. He has posted Pro Football Focus overall grades below 61.0 once in his career and is adept at stopping the run.

The downside of acquiring Nelson is that he’s mostly played in the boundaries throughout his career, so he could struggle if he needed to line up in the slot. On the other hand, signing wouldn’t be cost-prohibitive. Last offseason, he settled on a $2.5 million contract and giving him one that averages $5 million per year this time around seems realistic.