![Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard (42) runs a blocking drill during the seventh organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Monday, June 2, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_173,w_2164,h_1217/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01jzb30pmt5hq6qrvg16.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard (42) runs a blocking drill during the seventh organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Monday, June 2, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
The Jacksonville Jaguars lacked game-changers and depth across the roster in 2024, so it wasn't particularly shocking to see them bolster nearly every position group in the offseason. That said, some units got more help than others. The safety room was one of them despite the fact that Andre Cisco left in free agency. But that's because the Jags already had several in-house options to begin with.
To replace Cisco, Jacksonville inked Eric Murray in free agency. Given that he was one of the team's biggest free-agent acquisitions, he's virtually a lock to be a Day 1 starter. The spot next to him will be up for grabs, which leads an NFL analyst to believe that safety will be Jacksonville's most intriguing position battle in training camp.
Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network took a look at every team's most intriguing position battle and chose safety for the Jags, arguing that their current options are underwhelming
"Before they lost Andre Cisco in free agency this year, the Jacksonville Jaguars already had concerns at safety," Infante wrote. "After his departure, safety figures to be a key position battle going into training camp."
Infante continued, "Eric Murray steps into Cisco's place in the starting lineup, and he doesn't figure to be a massive upgrade, if one at all. He and Darnell Savage both disappointed in 2024. The Jaguars should hold out hope that Antonio Johnson or third-round rookie Caleb Ransaw can take over and prevent them from being one of the worst safety tandems in the NFL."
Darnell Savage joined the Jaguars in free agency last year. They wanted him to line up in the slot but moved him to safety, his natural position when Antonio Johnson struggled last year. Both of them will compete for the starting job next to Murray. Andrew Wingard and rookie Caleb Ransaw will also be in the mix. That's four players battling for one job.
Caleb Ransaw could start for the Jaguars (but Andrew Wingard and Antonio Johnson should have a chance)
It's really hard to tell who'll be the starter at safety, apart from Eric Murray, in Week 1. Caleb Ransaw has gotten rave reviews throughout the offseason. Working in his favor is that the new regime handpicked him, so he might have a slight edge ahead of free agency.
However, the rookie out of Tulane is switching from cornerback to safety and may undergo an adjustment period. The former Tulane Green Wave may earn a featured role at some point in 2025, but if he isn't ready for the opener, the Jags may lean on one of their veterans.
Andrew Wingard has been a mainstay in the defensive backfield since he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He's come through when called upon but has a limited ceiling. Darnell Savage, on the other hand, has been a solid starter throughout his career, so he should also have a shot. The wild card could turn out to be Antonio Johnson.
A fifth-round pick in 2023, Johnson mostly played nickel as a rookie and performed well enough to progressively get more playing time. By the end of the year, he had supplanted then-incumbent Tre Herndon. Expected to break out in 2024, the former Texas A&M Aggie moved to safety but struggled. He's now entering a boom-or-bust kind of season and will need to prove himself if he wants to stick around.
If the Jaguars aren't thrilled with how the position looks after training camp, they could reach out to safety Julian Blackmon, who was a dependable starter for the Indianapolis Colts. He remains unsigned after hitting the open market earlier this year.
Heading into training camp, the Jaguars safety room doesn't appear to be in great shape, at least from an outside perspective, but the team's brass is confident that someone will stand out and separate himself from the bunch. If nobody does, they'll need to revisit the state of the position and act accordingly. Having said that, it's too early to get fidgety.