The Jacksonville Jaguars had 13 pending free agents ahead of Day 1 of the legal tampering period. They zeroed in on the one they knew they had to re-sign: Montaric Brown, who got a three-year deal worth $33 million to return to Duval after having a breakout season.
The downside of re-signing Brown was that it limited the Jags' ability to bring back some of their top free agents, as they didn't have much cap to work with. This is probably why they didn't make an aggressive effort to retain running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd, who bolted for the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers, respectively.
On top of that, when Jacksonville gave a new deal to Brown, it cleared the path for fellow cornerback Greg Newsome to walk.
The Jaguars were going to have trouble re-signing Montaric Brown and Greg Newsome
On Day 2 of the legal tampering period, the New York Giants signed Greg Newsome to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million.
Leaving aside that the Jaguars may not have been able to (or didn't want to) meet the G-Men's offer, they may not have been interested in bringing Newsome back after a dreadful 2025 season.
Jacksonville traded for Newsome at the deadline, swapping him for Tyson Campbell. The expectation was that he was going to be an upgrade at cornerback but instead had trouble finding his footing, giving up a completion rate of 69.5 percent and five receiving touchdowns.
It's possible that Newsome might've bounced back with a full offseason to get accclimated to Anthony Campanile's defense, but the Jags apparently saw enough of him not to bring him back.
Maybe if Jacksonville hadn't re-signed Brown, Newsome could've returned. However, that was no longer an option after the Jaguars got a deal done with the former.
The Jaguars are (mostly) set at cornerback in spite of losing Greg Newsome
All things considered, the Jaguars have fared well in free agency even after losing Devin Lloyd and Travis Etienne. They could've lost their two starting cornerbacks, but managed to keep one. Had Greg Newsome and Montaric Brown walked in free agency, cornerback would've become one of their top priorities. Sure, Travis Hunter is expected to play defense full-time next season, but Jacksonville would've needed another starter in the boundaries opposite of him.
While Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones have at times played in the perimeter, both of them are better suited to man the slot. That's probably why they prioritized re-signing Brown. And with Hunter in the mix, cornerback isn't as much of a need as defensive tackle or the pass rush.
Granted, the Jags could use depth at cornerback, especially if they're unable to bring back Christian Braswell, who also hit free agency. However, the team's brass no longer has to use a pick in the second round to bolster the position. After locking up Brown, Jacksonville could wait until the third round or the fourth to add reinforcements.
The Jaguars entered free agency with a clear strategy in mind. They didn't deviate from it, and things turned out just fine. The team's brass surely had a contingency plan in case Montaric Brown walked. But once he signed a new deal, Greg Newsome became expendable.