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The closer we get to free agency with the Jacksonville Jaguars not re-signing safety Johnathan Cyprien, the more it seems they’re going to let him walk — or at least let him see what he’s worth before sending out a low ball offer.
But all signs point to Cyprien being gone in 2017 and a new face being on the team come September. Who’s available and who would be worth bringing in?
Here’s Spotrac’s full listing of all free agent strong safeties in 2017:
2017 free agent strong safeties
| Name | Age | Team | Games | Tackles | Sacks | QB Hits | Forced Fumbles | Interceptions | 2016 AAV | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Age | Team | Games | Tackles | Sacks | QB Hits | Forced Fumbles | Interceptions | 2016 AAV | Status |
| Jahleel Addae | 27 | LAC | 8 | 48 | 1 | $2,553,000 | UFA | |||
| Mike Adams | 35 | IND | 15 | 79 | 2 | 2 | 2 | $2,425,000 | UFA | |
| Barry Church | 29 | DAL | 12 | 85 | 2 | 2 | $2,206,750 | UFA | ||
| Matt Elam | 25 | BAL | 13 | 2 | $1,691,751 | UFA | ||||
| Tony Jefferson | 25 | ARI | 15 | 96 | 2 | 4 | 2 | $1,671,000 | UFA | |
| D.J. Swearinger | 25 | ARI | 16 | 66 | 2 | 4 | 3 | $1,671,000 | UFA | |
| Quintin Demps | 31 | HOU | 13 | 55 | 1 | 1 | 6 | $1,500,000 | UFA | |
| John Cyprien | 26 | JAC | 16 | 128 | 1 | 2 | 1 | $1,367,276 | UFA | |
| Roman Harper | 34 | NO | 16 | 29 | 1 | $1,065,000 | UFA | |||
| Donte Whitner | 31 | WAS | 11 | 66 | 1 | $985,000 | UFA | |||
| Jamarca Sanford | 31 | NO | 4 | $965,000 | UFA | |||||
| James Ihedigbo | 33 | BUF | 4 | 15 | $885,000 | UFA | ||||
| Robert Blanton | 27 | BUF | 10 | 35 | $840,000 | UFA | ||||
| Chris Prosinski | 29 | CHI | 16 | 24 | $840,000 | UFA | ||||
| Brynden Trawick | 27 | OAK | 15 | 22 | 1 | $825,000 | UFA | |||
| Shiloh Keo | 29 | NO | 12 | 6 | $760,000 | UFA | ||||
| Jeron Johnson | 28 | SEA | 4 | 3 | $760,000 | UFA | ||||
| T.J. McDonald | 26 | LA | 16 | 63 | 1 | 4 | 2 | $731,570 | UFA | |
| Kelcie McCray | 28 | SEA | 16 | 38 | $717,500 | UFA | ||||
| Duron Harmon | 26 | NE | 16 | 27 | 1 | 1 | $677,775 | UFA | ||
| Duke Ihenacho | 27 | WAS | 15 | 62 | 1 | $675,000 | UFA | |||
| Bacarri Rambo | 26 | MIA | 9 | 40 | 1 | 1 | $675,000 | UFA | ||
| Josh Evans | 25 | WAS | 2 | $675,000 | UFA | |||||
| Shamarko Thomas | 26 | PIT | 8 | 7 | $653,288 | UFA | ||||
| Micah Hyde | 26 | GB | 16 | 57 | 1 | 2 | 3 | $584,527 | UFA | |
| Kemal Ishmael | 25 | ATL | 13 | 52 | $551,474 | UFA | ||||
| Daimion Stafford | 26 | TEN | 15 | 52 | 1 | 2 | 1 | $551,474 | UFA |
Tony Jefferson seems the logical choice here to replace Cyprien. He’s one of the top safeties to be hitting the open market, he is much stronger in coverage, and he’s not going to be a liability in the run game. With similar size, build, and speed as Cyprien, it would be an obvious upgrade at the strong safety position. Granted, Jefferson was playing behind a much better front seven, but I think he’s worth the risk.
What do you think? Is Jefferson the answer here? Should the Jaguars think about re-signing Cyprien? What’s the answer here?