Breaking down the Jaguars roster: Cornerback

The Jacksonville Jaguars are fortunate, compared to other NFL franchises this offseason, in that the majority of their impact players returned, at least on the defensive side of the ball. Let us continue our series of going position by position and looking ahead to the 2018 season and go over who the Jaguars have, if they upgraded, and how much they’re spending at these various positions (2018 cap hits).

Next, let’s look at the back end of the defense and the cornerback positions.

Starters

The Jacksonville Jaguars have arguably the best cornerback tandem in the NFL with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. Bouye was a high-priced free agent acquisition in 2017 and he did not disappoint, being named to the Pro Bowl in his first season with the Jaguars. Ramsey on the other hand was a standout his rookie season and in Year 2 pushed himself even further earning not only a Pro Bowl selection, but also being named First Team All Pro. Combined Ramsey and Bouye will cost the Jaguars just under $22 million in 2018 against the salary cap, which quite frankly is a bargain.

Losses

The Jaguars secondary took a hit with Aaron Colvin’s contract expiring and him moving on in free agency to the Houston Texans. Colvin has been a good player for the Jaguars since being drafted in the fourth round, though it was clear the team viewed him as a nickel/inside corner only and he had a market for being an outside corner in free agency.

With Colvin’s departure the Jaguars picked up D.J. Hayden in free agency, which was a direct replacement for Colvin. I’m still a little unsure of Hayden as a player and view him as a clear downgrade from Colvin, though at the same time I do think Colvin was overrated by a lot of fans. In truth nickel corner usually isn’t that important, but the Jaguars are in the nickel quite a bit so they can’t just be a disaster. I think Hayden is a short-term band-aid with the hope that one of the younger players emerge.

Depth

This is the real area of concern in the Jaguars secondary, especially with Colvin walking in free agency. The depth for the cornerback position consists of Tyler Patmon, Jalen Myrick, Dexter McDougle, Sammy Seamster and rookies Quentin Meeks, Dee Delaney, Tre Herndon and CJ Reavis. Patmon and Myrick have shown capable in a pinch, but the cornerback depth overall for the Jaguars is still one of my biggest areas of concern heading into the 2018 season.