Jaguars quietly nailed this offseason move (and it's flying under the radar)

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the offseason with plenty of needs. One of the biggest ones was cornerback. Projected to go after Carlton Davis, D.J. Reed, or even Byron Murphy, the Jags instead opted to give Jourdan Lewis a three-year deal worth $30 million. At first sight, it looked like they paid a premium for his services, especially when you consider that he's mostly played nickel throughout his career. But a closer look shows that the Jags got a pretty good player without having to break the bank.

A third-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, Lewis mostly played nickel throughout his stint with Big D. However, he played at a high level whenever he was asked to play in the boundaries.

Precisely because the Detroit, Michigan native mostly lined up in the slot, it was thought that would be how the Jags planned to use him. However, they also expect him to play outside. How much? That remains to be seen, but his versatility was most definitely appealing to the team's brass. The same is true about his feistiness and toughness.

Pro Football Focus is certainly a fan of the Jags' decision to sign Lewis. The advanced statistics site dubbed him their biggest offseason acquisition, pointing out that he should have an immediate impact slot.

In a different article, John Kosko of PFF ranked the top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL and placed Lewis at No. 27, pointing out that the former Michigan Wolverine is coming off a productive year. Here's the skinny.

"After spending eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Lewis heads to Jacksonville fresh off the best year of his career (78.2 PFF coverage grade)," Kosko wrote. "He ranked eighth in PFF advanced coverage grade in 2024, though he's had an up-and-down career playing out in the slot."

Surprisingly, Lewis ranked one spot higher than fellow cornerback Byron Murphy, who got a much better deal in free agency. On the other hand, he popped up one spot below teammate Tyson Campbell.

Lewis caught wind of the ranking and appears to be pleased. Here's his reaction.

Jourdan Lewis gives the Jaguars flexibility at corner opposite Tyson Campbell

With Jourdan Lewis and Tyson Campbell, it's easy to forget that Jarrian Jones had a promising rookie campaign. A third-round pick in last year's draft, the former Florida Seminole mostly lined up in the slot but could also play outside. It's hard to tell who'll be the primary nickel in 2025, but defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile won't complain any day soon. It's also worth noting that fourth-year pro Montaric Brown is having a strong offseason and could end up earning significant playing time.

All things considered, the Jacksonville cornerback unit is in much better shape than it was last year. And that's without taking Travis Hunter into account. The two-way star only lined up at wide receiver early in the offseason but began to get reps on defense late in Organized Team Activities.

Hunter will see a progressive uptick in snaps at cornerback, but because the Jaguars are stacked at the position, they don't have to rush him into action. In fact, nobody will bat an eye if he gets more snaps at wide receiver than on defense.

Simply put, the Jags will have lots of flexibility at cornerback, and it was possible because they signed the versatile Jourdan Lewis in free agency.

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