When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Ronald Darby last year, they thought they were getting a capable starter opposite Tyson Campbell. What they got instead was an underwhelming player who struggled in pass coverage. Not surprisingly, the Jags released him ahead of free agency, but he's quickly found a new home with a division foe.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Houston Texans have signed Darby to a one-year, $2.8 million deal. They also gave fullback Jakob Johnson a one-year deal.
Former Jaguars free-agent CB Ronald Darby is signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Houston Texans, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2025
The Darby signing took place the same day Houston gave cornerback Derek Stingley a three-year, $90 million contract.
While Darby has been a dependable starter throughout most of his career, he showed signs of slowing down last year. In 13 games, he gave up 13.8 yards per completion, a 71.0 percent completion rate, and five touchdowns. The former Florida State Seminole struggled so badly that he was benched in favor of Montaric Brown and was made a healthy scratch the last four weeks of the season.
Back when the Jags signed Darby, it looked like a solid move, as they gave him a two-year deal worth $10 million. In fact, his biggest concern was his availability or lack thereof in recent years. Shockingly, he managed to stay healthy but ultimately didn't live up to expectations.
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Signing Ronald Darby was one of the Jaguars' worst decisions in 2024
In theory, replacing Darious Williams with Ronald Darby made sense. After all, the Jacksonville Jaguars freed up $11 million in cap space and acquired the latter at half the price of the former. In practice, the move was dreadful. In fact, it was one of many that ultimately played a role in general manager Trent Baalke's dismissal earlier this year.
In Baalke's defense, he didn't probably imagine Darby's decline would be so sudden. Then again, he inadvertently created a need the Jaguars didn't have when Williams was still in the fold.
Heck, you could make the case that Williams was pricey but he posted four interceptions, four returned for a touchdown, and 19 passes defensed in 2023. Simply put, he was worth what he was slated to get paid. The silver lining is that the Jags seemed to have a viable solution at cornerback.
After releasing Darby, Jacksonville signed Jourdan Lewis to a three-year, $30 million contract in free agency. While the former Michigan Wolverine has mostly lined up in the slot throughout his career, he's versatile enough to play both inside and outside.
With Lewis in the mix, cornerback is no longer one of the Jaguars' top priorities. That said, it wouldn't have become a need if they hadn't replaced Williams with Darby.
Now, the Jags will get to face Darby twice in 2025, and if he plays like he did last year, Trevor Lawrence is probably licking his chops.