With ample effective salary cap space available following free agency and the NFL draft — $30,866,651, third-most in the league — Jacksonville can continue to upgrade positions on its roster ahead of the 2024 campaign if it chooses to.
Despite their selection of two cornerbacks in the draft, third-rounder Jarrian Jones and fifth-rounder Deantre Prince, that spot arguably could benefit from more help.
Behind starters Tyson Campbell and Ronald Darby, Jacksonville’s cornerback group has combined for 54 career starts. However, 36 belong to fifth-year corner Amani Oruwariye, who spent most of the 2023 season on the Jaguars’ practice squad and did not appear in a game.
That leaves the other seasoned contributors with an average of 3.6 career starts. The five non-Oruwariye reserves combined for 570 defensive snaps over 26 appearances and six starts, each by Montaric Brown, in 2023, averaging out to fewer than 100 snaps per player.
Asked by “Gavin from Halifax, NS, Canada,” about Jacksonville possibly adding a veteran to the room, with an eye on proven depth in the event of injuries, Jaguars senior writer John Oehser shared his belief that the team will look into it in his daily question-and-answer column on Thursday.
“I expect the Jaguars will consider this option,” Oehser wrote. “Rookie minicamp begins Friday. Organized team activities begin May 20. If the Jaguars believe in late May that there are positions that should be addressed, I expect signing free agents at those positions will be strongly considered.”
Gavin highlighted current free agent cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson, Xavien Howard (whose March release from Miami included a post-June 1 designation), Stephon Gilmore and Patrick Peterson as candidates for a spot on Jacksonville’s roster. Each player was on the field for at least 65% of their most recent team’s defensive snaps in 2023.
Additionally, Jerry Jacobs, Steven Nelson, Ahkello Witherspoon and Fabian Moreau remain on the cornerback free agent market. Each met the same playing time threshold in 2023 as the cornerbacks that Gavin mentioned.
Of note, Jacobs reportedly met with the Jaguars following the draft. He left Jacksonville without signing with the team.
