Barry Church ready to get to work with Jaguars teammates

Newly signed Jacksonville Jaguars safety Barry Church is ready to get going for the 2017 NFL season and has been in contact with his new teammates. Church was known in Dallas as one of the leaders in the Cowboys locker room, something the Jaguars have seemingly missed the past few seasons, and it appears he's making headway to do the same in Jacksonville.

"I got to reach out to a couple of those guys," Church said on Jaguars.com LIVE on Wednesday. "[Tashaun] Gipson, Calais Campbell and [A.J.] Bouye - I got to talk to those guys, and Malik Jackson as well. I'm getting comfortable with those guys, and that's where it all starts."

The Jaguars won't actually hit the field for at least another month, and even then it's a struggle to call it "practice". It is nice to see Church take the initiative however to reach out to not only the other new signings, but the defensive players already on the roster to try to get things organized before the season starts. As mentioned, Church was known for being the guy to make sure everything is organized and players are doing what they should in Dallas.

"It all starts with earning the respect and the trust of your teammates," Church added. "Football is a team sport and you need your teammates to succeed, so without that, you're not going to do anything at all. I'm just super-excited about the opportunity to be a part of something unbelievable."

The Jaguars defense lacked in some areas last season, but had the base makings of a very good overall defense. Adding in players like Church, Bouye and Campbell can help take it to that next level. If Church emerges as that vocal defensive leader that the team has seemed to lack since Mike Peterson left, it can help them take that next level and potentially even to the point where they can carry a struggling offense in a few games.