When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Ronald Darby in free agency, they thought they were getting a dependable corner who could hold his own opposite Tyson Campbell. However, the veteran has struggled and has progressively seen his playing time decrease to the point where he didn't play a single snap against the New York Jets in Week 15. That could be a sign that his days with the Jags are numbered.
One of the many things that stood out in the 32-25 loss — apart from wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.'s record-breaking heroics — was that Darby was active for the game but didn't play a single snap on defense. Instead, Montaric Brown lined opposite Campbell.
When asked about it, head coach Doug Pederson attributed Darby's usage or lack thereof to Brown playing well and giving him more opportunities.
"I just think Buster's been playing well, and giving him an opportunity right now," Pederson said one day after the loss to the Jets." Moving forward, with the last three games, I think you'll see Buster and hopefully get a chance to see Trey Prince and just kind of see where he's at as well. But, yeah, Buster's been playing really well."
Of course, Pederson wasn't going to publicly say that the team benched Darby or that he had underperformed. Instead, he praised Brown not to make his veteran counterpart look bad, which is understandable.
Either way, it's fair to say that Darby's stint with the Jags hasn't gone the way they envisioned. A second-round pick in 2015, the former Florida State Seminole played for a variety of teams before inking a two-year deal with Jacksonville earlier this year. Cornerback was a need at the time, and he had been dependable (when healthy) the last two years, so the signing made sense.
That said, Darby seemed like a short-term solution at the position due to his history of injuries and age. The past two years, he missed a combined 12 games. Surprisingly, the former second-round pick has managed to stay healthy in Duval, but he's struggled throughout the year, giving up 605 receiving yards, five touchdowns, and a 71 percent completion rate.
Ronald Darby can be a cap casualty for the Jaguars in 2025
All things considered, benching Ronald Darby isn't particularly shocking. The Jacksonville Jaguars knew he was going to be nearly as productive as he was early in his career. What they didn't probably anticipate was that he was going to experience such a steep decline in 2024. Then again, it was a possibility, and the team's brass will next need to make a decision about his future.
Darby is set to count $5 million against the cap in 2025. Releasing him would save the club $2.25 million in cap space with a reasonable $2.75 million in dead money. When you take into account that he's probably better suited for a reserve role at this stage of his career, the Jags might be better off moving on from him.
It's also worth noting that there could be a new regime next year, and it may want to prioritize revamping the secondary. If that's the case, Darby's odds of returning next year seem bleak.
Sure, it's never pleasant to see players get cut, but Ronald Darby hasn't delivered for the Jaguars in a sport where you have to consistently prove yourself.