PFF: Jags’ Andrew Wingard overall grade ranks ninth among safeties

Andrew Wingard has a top-10 grade at his position (per PFF), and has looked better over the last three weeks. After looking back at the last three games, we may have found out why.

There hasn’t been a lot of positives to take away from the defensive side of the ball for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but there has been one player from the unit who noticeably hasn’t been mentioned much since Week 1 (and in a good way). That player is safety Andrew Wingard, who Pro Football Focus has down with the highest grade of any defensive starter on the Jags’ roster (73.3) and the ninth-highest grade amongst safeties.

When looking at the safety position overall, Wingard’s grade is better than those of Budda Baker (72.0), Devin McCourty (71.0), and Grant Delpit (71.7), to name a few (at least at the moment). His overall grade is also not that far off from those of Jordan Whitehead (73.9), Jessie Bates (75.6), or even the highest-graded safety in the league, Micah Hyde (78.3), too, among notables.

Again, this comes after Wingard didn’t look all that great against the Houston Texans Week 1, and if a player’s performance could be based on the opening week, many would’ve predicted him to be assigned solely to special teams by now. However, as the saying goes, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” and gradual progress from a young player certainly isn’t a bad thing, especially for the 0-4 Jags.

After Week 1, a game where Wingard registered a 58.4 figure, PFF charted him down with two positive grades afterward as he registered a 75 against Denver, then a 72.2 against Arizona. The reason for those scores was the performance as a run defender against the Broncos (where he had a 76.1) and in coverage against the Cardinals (71.2), who have the best passing game the Jags have faced. 

Against the Broncos, Wingard’s grade does add up as he was in on a lot of action at the line of scrimmage (and made at least one open field tackle near it by my eyes). He ultimately had eight total tackles by the end of the game, was in on two no-gain tackles against running back Melvin Gordon, and had a sack against quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Then, against the Cardinals, Wingard was able to acquire the Jags’ first and only pick of the 2021 regular season from Kyler Murray on a deep attempt from the end zone. However, it was a play in the first series of the game that caught my eyes as he made a clutch stop in the open field against receiver Christian Kirk.

The young receiver found himself behind everyone in the defense but Wingard after running a skinny post, and the Jags’ young safety had to hustle in the open field from an odd angle to get Kirk down. Simply put, it didn’t look like the easiest tackle to make on a very fast target. And while the Cards ended up scoring on the drive eventually, it still was a good play I took notice of.

So, in a nutshell, Wingard appears to be certainly making plays on the field, and the staff is noticing. Defensive coordinator Joe Cullen even singled him out in Thursday’s media session for his recent ability to get his hands on several passes.

“Dewey has been catching everything thrown at him,” Cullen said. “He had a near pick the other night [against the Bengals], and he ran through the ball. Unfortunately, it was out of bounds by a half of a foot, and he had a pick yesterday in practice.”

With his play improving it has caused an issue within the secondary, though, as third-round rookie Andre Cisco has seen limited snaps on defense this season. At the same time, it’s a good problem to have, and the teams who have an abundance of talent at a certain position figure it out. That’s exactly what the Jags need to do with their two young players who have flashed.

Heading forward, it’s not clear if Wingard will continue to make strides, but it would be great for the team if he does. One thing he will have to clean up is his missed tackle figure of eight, but aside from that, he’s clearly not the player we saw Week 1. He’s made both plays on the field and has even shown the leadership skills (see tweet above) that coaches like to see from a young player. Those are things fans should welcome for a young struggling team that especially hasn’t been great on defense.