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The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to terms with free agent defensive back Barry Church, according to reports. Church, 29, has been a stalwart in the Dallas Cowboys secondary for the past four seasons after earning a starting role and it appears as if the Jaguars view him as the guy to fill the hole at the strong safety position, at least for a couple of seasons.
Barring a change of heart, #Cowboys safety Barry Church is expected to land with the #Jaguars on a 4-year deal worth more than $6M per year
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2017
Church isn't a ballhawking type of safety, fitting more in the traditional strong safety role, which is exactly what the Jaguars need right now. While Tashaun Gipson had a disappointing season, though I think it's over exaggerated, a pairing of Gipson and Church should be an upgrade over what the team has had the past few seasons. While some places like ProFootballFocus graded out Johnathan Cyprien highly, I think most would agree Church is an upgrade.
The Jaguars could add even more to their defensive line and the secondary in both free agency and the draft, so a defense that was pretty good last season could end up even better in 2017.