Heading into free agency, it was evident the Jacksonville Jaguars would add some help at cornerback as both Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye are no longer with the team. The player they ended up snagging was former Cincinnati Bengals first-round selection, Darqueze Dennard, to a three-year, $13.5 million deal guaranteeing six million.
With Dennard’s addition, the Jags brought in a player with six years of experience, which is what the young group needs at the moment. After being placed on the physically unable to perform list, he was able to accumulate 37 tackles last season (in the span of nine games) and had five pass breakups. That was good enough to get him a grade of 72.2, per Pro Football Focus. However, while with the Bengals, he was extensively used as a nickelback, but per coach Doug Marrone, that will change this year.
“We felt really good about his skill level to play outside,” Marrone said of Dennard. “We’re bringing him in here to compete for the outside. Obviously, we had to make some decisions on the outside and revamp, really, that group.”