Throughout his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Andrew Wingard has established himself as a locker-room leader and become one of the team's most vocal players. Heck, back when Doug Pederson became the head coach, Dewey said that he would run into battle for him. However, he's changed his tune in light of the Jags' recent struggles.
Wingard started the season on Injury Reserve after suffering a knee injury in training camp. But even though he has been healthy for a while, it wasn't until he filled for Darnell Savage against the Las Vegas Raiders that he got significant playing time, logging 63 defensive snaps. The former Wyoming Cowboy made the most out of it, registering three passes defensed.
Based on how Wingard played, you would think that the coaching staff would be looking to give him more playing time but that hasn't been the case. Before Week 16, he had only tallied five defensive snaps and was mostly relegated to special teams despite the fact that he made a strong impression in training camp.
To nobody's surprise, Wingard showed out when he finally set foot on the field. Similarly, nobody batted an eye when he made it clear how he felt about how things have played out this season.
"Haven't been playing," Wingard responded when asked if he was on a snap count. "You see what happens when I play."
Based on Wingard's response, it looks like he isn't getting as much playing time as he thinks he deserves. He isn't necessarily wrong, though. The Arvada, Colorado native was the highest-graded Jaguar in the Week 16 loss to Las Vegas, posting a Pro Football Focus overall mark of 77.3.
When asked about the issues the defense has been dealing with, Wingard states that it doesn't have to do with the team's 3-12 record, pointing out that he's seen the unit struggle all year long.
"I've seen that all year. I don't know if it's a lack of discipline or what, but I've seen a lot of that throughout the year, so I don't think the record has anything to do with that."
Wingard goes on to say that he deserves a bigger role, stating that he's a starter in the NFL. This is just a conjuction but he seems to imply with his comments that the team isn't practicing well and isn't susprised that the defense as a whole is struggling.
Andrew Wingard will have a chance to show Jaguars he deserves a bigger role in 2025
All things considered, it's refreshing to see Andrew Wingard keeping it real instead of sticking to some generic talking points. That may not make him popular in the locker room or with management, but teams need players who can tell it like it is, and the veteran safety most definitely fits the bill.
With one year left on his deal, Wingard will make an effort to once again show out in training camp in 2025. The Jaguars haven't gotten much production out of the season position this season and Andre Cisco is slated to become a free agent. That could allow Wingard to seize a starting job and maybe even increase his stock before he himself hits the open market.
For the time being, he'll have a chance to showcase his talent and put enough tape while fellow safety Darnell Savage waits to be cleared from concussion protocol.