This offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars made significant changes to every position in their secondary, including safety. They have an intriguing situation with veteran Green Bay Packer Darnell Savage, who is anticipated to start at safety but double as nickel in a hybrid role, and they have a stud in Andre Cisco, who is about to start his fourth season.
As the regular season approaches its first week, the team’s most recent unofficial depth chart raises some alarms. The two backup safeties on the roster are veteran Daniel Thomas and Antonio Johnson, a fifth-round selection from the previous draft who has shown some promise. Tashaun Gipson Sr., a 13-year veteran who played with the Jaguars from 2016 to 2018, is back on the 53-man roster but will miss the first six games of the season due to a performance-enhancing drug suspension. Andrew Wingard will start the season on injured reserve.
The position is obviously in flux, so Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report is keeping an eye on a 2025 free agent target that the Jaguars may use to punish a division rival in addition to filling a need.
Star Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon should be Jacksonville’s top target in free agency the following year, according to Ballentine. His justification is as follows:
Blackmon was just named a Colts starter. He played a career-high 15 games and 986 snaps last season as a strong safety, making him a noteworthy player. He led the Colts with 88 tackles, four interceptions, and eight pass breakups during a contract year. He signed a one-year, $3.7 million contract to return to the Colts this offseason, after the safety market collapsed around him in free agency.