Whether the Jacksonville Jaguars opt to spend some of their draft capital on the cornerback position or not, there's a free agent with obvious ties to the organization who could be had at a relative bargain.
The Jags must be smart about how they spend on the open market. They have very little cash to spare, and should still be holding out some hope that they can retain All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd.
Re-signing Montaric Brown is an option, but he's a former seventh-round pick with marginal athleticism. Another player who'll hit free agency is linked to Jags GM James Gladstone from their shared time with the Los Angeles Rams.
Overlooked Rams starter Cobie Durant is fully capable of being Jaguars' long-term CB2
Drafting a prospect out of South Carolina State in the fourth round is a bold choice indeed. That didn't stop the Rams from selecting Cobie Durant 142nd overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Durant was 211th on the consensus big board back in those days. Looking at his profile on the surface, his small-school status and undersized frame didn't exactly scream "early Day 3 pick" to the draftniks out there. However, Rams GM Les Snead, Gladstone and the rest of the front office evidently saw something others didn't.
Cut to four years later, and Durant will be in relatively high demand as a free agent. He's shown the ability to play on the boundary and in the slot, but he'd do more of the latter in Jacksonville.
Some big plays in the playoffs may cause Durant's value to sink just enough for the Jags to get in his price range. He was on the business end of that wild Cole Kmet TD in the Divisional Round, and gave up a highly improbable TD catch to Jake Bobo in the NFC title game.
Caleb Williams' 14-yard game-tying touchdown pass to Cole Kmet traveled 51.2 yards in the air, the longest completed pass by air distance in the red zone in the NGS era (since 2016).
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 19, 2026
🔹 Completion Probability: 17.8%#LARvsCHI | #DaBearspic.twitter.com/8zWqIc27KP
Per NFL Next Gen Stats: Darnold's second touchdown pass -- the 17-yarder to Jake Bobo -- had a completion probability of 24.5%, the least likely playoff TD for the Seahawks since completion probability's inception in 2017. pic.twitter.com/4jgisuOMqZ
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) January 27, 2026
Tough luck on both of those. Kmet pushed off to gain separation, and Durant gave a strong contest on Bobo, who had four catches total across the regular season and playoffs.
Despite being only 5'11" and 180 pounds, Durant plays a lot bigger than his size as a run defender and, more importantly, at the catch point. He's only allowed a 60.2% completion rate for his NFL career, per PFF, and an 84.5 passer rating with seven interceptions.
As was the case when Durant played under Mike Shula, the Jags dial up a lot of zone coverages. That makes Durant a scheme fit in Duval as well.
Have a feeling that Durant will be rocking a Black and Teal uniform before long, especially if Jacksonville can't re-sign Lloyd in March.