The Jacksonville Jaguars no longer had room for safety Darnell Savage, so they cut ties with him following the 31-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. Third-year veteran Antonio Johnson is ready to step in his place.
On the other hand, Savage's departure left a void at safety, so the team's brass brought in a Vikings preseason star to add depth to the position.
The Jaguars signed Kahlef Hailassie to add depth in light of the Darnell Savage release
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they signed Kahlef Hailassie ahead of Week 3. An undrafted free agent in 2023, he spent his first two seasons in the Cleveland Browns practice squad. The Western Kentucky product joined the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason and was released ahead of the 2025 season.
During his two-year stint with the Browns, Hailassie appeared in 10 games, registering one pass defensed and eight total tackles. Later in Minnesota, he turned heads in the preseason when he registered two interceptions in the opener against the Houston Texans. However, that wasn't enough to help him earn a roster spot.
It's worth noting that Hailassie played corner throughout most of the offseason program but switched to safety in training camp. In Jacksonville, he'll join a group that includes Eric Murray, Darnell Savage, Antonio Johnson, and rookie Rayuan Lane.
Related: The Jags earned a deserved tumble in power rankings after the Bengals loss
The Jaguars added Kahlef Hailassie to add depth in light of the Darnell Savage release
Given his promising outing in the preseason, it's a bit surprising that the Minnesota Vikings didn't sign Kahlef Hailassie to their practice squad. Then again, teams had a finite number of spots, so there's a chance they would've kept him if they had been able to. With the Jaguars, he probably won't see meaningful playing time anytime soon. That said, signing him was a low-risk, high-reward move.
As noted before, Hailassie just switched to safety, so he'll have a chance to continue working in the transition with Jacksonville. This doesn't guarantee that he'll turn into a steady contributor, but the team's brass most definitely thought of him highly enough to kick the tires on him.
And that's the thing, Hailassie seems like somewhat of a project at this stage of his NFL career. But the fact that the Jaguars are giving him a chance shows that the potential is there.