Following a disappointing 2024 campaign, the Jacksonville Jaguars had several glaring roster voids. Safety was one of the biggest ones, which is why the team's brass signed Eric Murray in free agency and later used a pair of draft picks on Caleb Ransaw and Rayuan Lane. All the investments paid off, as safety became a strength for the Jags despite the fact that Ransaw missed his rookie season with a leg injury.
But precisely because Jacksonville was so stacked at safety, Andrew Wingard became expendable in 2026. This led him to join the Arizona Cardinals in free agency. And based on recent reports, his tenure in the desert is off to a great start.
Moreover, Wingard remains the player who endeared himself to Jaguars fans by saying the darndest things you could imagine.
Andrew Wingard stays true to himself despite leaving the Jaguars
Andrew Wingard recently said that he could be the psycho white guy that the Cardinals need, via team reporter Dani Sureck. Here's the full quote.
"I just love a good psycho white guy and you need one of those guys on the team... and I think I can be that guy here."
Jaguars fans know it wasn't uncommon for Dewey to say outrageous things like that. For instance, he said he would love to be in a bar fight with Anthony Campanile when he became the defensive coordinator in 2025. Similarly, the former Wyoming Cowboy heaped praise on head coach Liam Coen for "going psycho early in the morning."
But leaving aside his peculiar personality, Wingard was respected in the Jacksonville locker, becoming a veteran voice on the team. In fact, his teammates voted him captain in 2025.
But as prominent as he was, Wingard had reached his ceiling during his stint in Duval. He became a solid starter, but he wasn't going to make game-changing plays on a consistent basis. This is why nobody batted an eye when Jacksonville let him walk in March. The good news is that Arizona liked him enough to give him a one-year, $3 million deal in free agency.
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It was time for the Jaguars to move on from Andrew Wingard
An undrafted free agent in 2019, Andrew Wingard deserves credit for outlasting Doug Marrone, Urban Meyer, and Doug Pederson. During his stint in Duval, the Jags weren't very good, but that didn't stop him from giving all his best.
On the other hand, Wingard became expendable when the Jags drafted Caleb Ransaw and Rayuan Lane in 2025. Heck, if Ransaw had stayed healthy last year, Dewey may not have started. And even then, Antonio Johnson supplanted him as the starter next to Eric Murray as the season progressed.
This doesn't mean Wingard was a bad player. Simply, his cycle with the Jaguars ended, and he now gets to start for a Cardinals team that wanted him to be a key cog in their secondary.
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