Overlooked Jaguars veteran faces serious heat ahead of 2025 season

The safety position remains a work in progress for theJacksonville Jaguars. Although Eric Murray will get one of the two starting spots, the other is still up for grabs ahead of the preseason. Darnell Savage, Andrew Wingard, and Antonio Johnson are in the midst of the competition for it, and all three have a shot at earning the nod. If Savage wants to win the job, though, he'll need to play much better than he did last year.

Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus drew up a list of 10 players in need of a strong preseason and included Savage, pointing out that the veteran safety will need to bounce back from an underwhelming 2024 or could potentially become a victim of the numbers game.

"Last year, Savage's PFF overall grade fell by more than 30 points, all the way to a career-low 46.9 mark. While his run defense was relatively steady, his coverage cratered, evidenced by a 41.5 PFF coverage grade and a 114.6 passer rating when targeted."

Locker continued, "As part of a remade secondary under head coach Liam Coen, Savage is competing to start among four safeties, listed as co-first team option with Eric Murray. Savage, although still under contract through 2027, could be on his way out if he can't turn the corner this preseason."

A first-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2019, Savage signed a three-year deal with the Jags last year. Although he has mostly played safety throughout his career, the past regime had him line up in the slot. The former Maryland Terrapin wasn't particularly great and ended up switching back to his more familiar position when Antonio Johnson got benched.

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Why Darnell Savage may or may not stay with the Jaguars in 2025

Darnell Savage must shoulder some of the blame for his underwhelming 2024, but the truth is that the defense as a whole struggled with Ryan Neilsen at the helm. On top of that, he wasn't a great fit at nickel. The good news is that Nielsen got his walking papers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Anthony Campanile to replace him.

With Campanile calling the shots, everyone is getting a clean slate, and that includes Savage. So far, head coach Liam Coen has been pleased with his performance. Then again, he faces steep competition in Antonio Johnson and Andrew Wingard.

You could make the case that rookie Caleb Ransaw is also in the mix but is currently nursing an injury and will be out for a while. Once he returns, he'll have some catch-up to do to get playing time.

With Ransaw out of the mix, Savage will need to beat Johnson and Wingard. The former has flashed in training camp and the latter has also been consistent. Ultimately, though, this could turn out to be a heated competition, and whoever loses could get kicked to the curb.

After all, a roster spot is earmarked for Eric Murray. Caleb Ransaw should also make the cut. Ditto fellow rookie Rayuan Lane, who's expected to contribute on special teams. Daniel Thomas may or may not stick around, but he'll also earn consideration because of his play on special teams. Add Savage, Dewey, and Johnson, and the Jaguars won't be able to keep everyone.

It's also worth noting that Savage won't be safe just because releasing him would accelerate a $5.5 million cap hit and leave $10.25 million in dead money in 2025. If general manager James Gladstone has proven anything, it is that he's not afraid to move on from players the past regime brought in.

The bottom line is that it's hard to tell how things will play out, but Darnell Savage has the talent and the track record to make the 53-man roster. Whether he pulls it off remains to be seen.

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