Tag: Andrew Wingard

Andrew Wingard: Win at home and we’ll go to the Super Bowl

As long as the Jaguars don’t lose any more games at home, they’ll play in Super Bowl LVIII, says Andrew Wingard.

All that stands between the Jacksonville Jaguars and their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl is a string of wins at EverBank Stadium, says safety Andrew Wingard.

The always-fired-up defensive back and special teamer was forced into the starting lineup Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of an injury to Andre Cisco. After a 20-10 win that included an interception by Wingard, he had a lot to say after the game.

Wingard, who snatched a Terrible Towel during the game and had postgame advice for the Steelers’ George Pickens, laid out the clear path to Super Bowl LVIII in an interview with Brent Martineau of Action Sports Jax.

“Isn’t this fun? Is this not fun? This is awesome,” Wingard said. “I mean, look at these freakin’ fans. We need to be selling out The Bank every damn week. We need to win all our home games and we’re gonna go to the [expletive] Super Bowl.”

That’s quite the statement from a player on a team that has now won five straight and is feeling great. It’s also — well — probably pretty true.

The Jaguars have five more home games (vs. 49ers, Titans, Bengals, Ravens, Panthers) on the schedule. At worst, the team would be 11-6 at the end of the year if it wins those games. That should be more than enough to win an AFC South that now has three teams below .500.

That’d mean at least one home playoff game in January and probably more, so long as the Jaguars don’t go 0-4 in their remaining road games (vs. Texans, Browns, Buccaneers, Titans).

The Jaguars are 2-2 in home games this season, although one of those wins was at their “home” away from home at Wembley Stadium in London. If the Jaguars run the table at EverBank Field, Wingard is feeling pretty good about their chances at playing for the Lombardi Trophy at Allegiant Stadium.

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Watch: Jaguars celebrate interception vs Steelers with Terrible Towels

Andrew Wingard snatched a Terrible Towel from an inattentive Steelers fan after his interception Sunday.

A harmless remark by Trevor Lawrence about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Terrible Towel” was blown out of proportion and taken as a sign of disrespect by fans and even Bill Cowher in the lead up to a Week 8 game.

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard actually made sure to disrespect the Towel during a 20-10 win on Sunday. After picking off the Steelers’ Mitchell Trubisky, Wingard snagged a Terrible Towel from an inattentive Pittsburgh fan and charged out on the field to give it some swings. Jaguars pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson found one too during the defense’s celebration.

Days ahead of the Week 8 matchup, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens said Jacksonville has a “hope defense.” After the game, both Wingard and fellow Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins made it clear they took the comment personally.

So Wingard, a player who’s never lacking for energy and gusto, was more than ready to rub his big play in the face of the Steelers and their fans.

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Jaguars defense gives ‘advice’ to Steelers WR George Pickens after win

“You don’t fire up a bunch of hungry dogs.”

Jacksonville Jaguars players didn’t have much to say Friday when asked about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ George Pickens calling them a “hope defense.” Safety Andre Cisco only called it “an interesting choice of words.”

The Jaguars saved their talking about it until Sunday in the locker room after a 20-10 win in which Pickens had one reception for 22 yards that was the Steelers’ only touchdown of the day.

“We heard some chatter before the game that we didn’t like,” Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins. “It really pissed us off, they shouldn’t have put that out there for us to hear that. They said we got ‘hope defense’ or something like that. We were hoping they would’ve came in here and put up a better fight.”

Safety Andrew Wingard, who started in place of Cisco, also jumped in with some thoughts on the Pickens comment that clearly didn’t sit well with Jaguars players.

“He needs some advice going forward, you never put pressure on yourself,” Wingard said. “You never put expectation on yourself. He did that. If hoping is getting a dub, we’ll take the dub. … You don’t fire up a bunch of hungry dogs. It’s not smart. George, do better.”

“He’s a young player, but you can’t chat before the game,” Jenkins added. “We didn’t say nothing the whole week. We just put it in the chamber and when it was time to come out, we started firing on all cylinders.

The 261 yards of total offense allowed was a season-best mark for the Jaguars defense, despite the team being without Cisco and cornerback Tyson Campbell.

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Jaguars players steal fans’ Terrible Towels after interception

The disrepect of the Steelers continues against the Jaguars.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky made a horrible throw into triple coverage resulting in an interception by Jacksonville safety Andrew Wingard.

After the INT, Wingard and his teammates did the usual, “run to the end zone and celebrate’ and Wingard and some teammates took it a step further by literally snatching up Terrible Towels from Steelers fans with seats at the front.

This would normally be where we would warn against the curse of the Terrible Towel but it doesn’t feel like that curse, or really anything of the tradition of this team means much as poorly as they are playing.

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Doug Pederson: Andrew Wingard’s captainship ‘speaks volumes’

Doug Pederson raved about the growth of first-time team captain Andrew Wingard.

It wasn’t long ago that Andrew “Dewey” Wingard was a relatively unpopular player among Jacksonville Jaguars fans.

The 2019 undrafted signee worked his way into the Jaguars’ defensive lineup and was a full-time starter in 2021, despite the team drafting Andre Cisco in the third round earlier that year. He struggled, at times, in that role, but found much more success in 2022 as a core special teamer and a rotational player in the secondary.

Now Wingard is a fan favorite, due in part to his resurgent season last year, but especially because of his enthusiasm and energy. He’s also set to be a team captain in 2023 after his Jaguars teammates voted him as the leader of the special teams unit.

“It speaks volumes for him, personally,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters Wednesday. “He’s been with this team through the early days and not so good days. Now, to being a captain, it just shows his growth and his maturity and where he’s come as a player with this team.

“You see it every year, there’s always those one or two guys that just emerge as leaders. Whether they’re voted captains or not, they’re still great men and great leaders of your football team. Dewey has done some really good things to be in this position, he’s worked hard, he’s excited for himself, he’s excited for our team and this season. I’m excited for him as a captain of our team.”

Wingard, 26, received a 79.9 defensive grade from PFF last season, fourth highest on the team among players who played more than two snaps per game. He also had a 72.5 grade on special teams.

In four NFL seasons, Wingard has four interceptions, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and seven tackles for loss.

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Jaguars announce 5 team captains for 2023 season

The Jaguars’ group of 2023 team captains features a couple of tenured players who received the honor for the first time.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced five permanent captains for the 2023 season on Tuesday. A sixth captain will be chosen by Jaguars coaches on a weekly basis.

While there were some obvious choices, like quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the team didn’t pick the same five players it did in 2022.

Defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris is a first-time captain, replacing outside linebacker Josh Allen as one of the two defensive captains. Allen previously spent three straight seasons as a Jaguars captain.

Special teams ace Andrew Wingard also earned captainship for the first time, replacing long-time punter Logan Cooke.

Here are the five Jaguars captains in 2023:

Andrew Wingard on pass rush concerns: ‘They don’t see what we see’

Andrew Wingard knows fans are concerned about the pass rush. He’s not.

If there’s a pressing concern for the Jacksonville Jaguars heading into the 2023 season, it’s the team’s pass rush.

While the offense promises to be even better than the top 10 unit from 2022, the Jaguars did very little to address their inability to affect opposing quarterbacks. After finishing 26th in the NFL in sacks last year, the team allowed Arden Key to walk in free agency and waited until the fifth round of the draft to add Yasir Abdullah.

Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard isn’t worried about the pass rush, though.

“Fans don’t see what we see,” Wingard told 1010XL after practice earlier this week. “Fans like to talk, they like to speculate, and that’s what you do, people love football. But they’re not in this building every day, they don’t see what we see, they don’t know what we know. We’re confident.”

The Jacksonville pass rush will mostly rely on the duo of Josh Allen and Travon Walker to make significant strides in 2023. Allen recorded 10.5 sacks as a rookie in 2019, but hasn’t been able to reach eight sacks in any season since. Walker finished his first NFL season with 3.5 sacks.

A deeper look at the pressure created by the Jaguars defense last year can provide some reasons for optimism, though. Jacksonville was sixth in the NFL in quarterback hurries (defined as a pressure that forced an early throw or moved the quarterback out of the pocket), and it was first in quarterback knockdowns (defined as a passer hitting the ground after a throw).

That’s a lot of close-but-no-cigar moments that could translate to many more sacks if there’s just a bit more development from the rushers and also just a bit more time bought by the coverage unit.

If Wingard is correct and the pass rush is better than it appears, the Jaguars may have all the pieces in place to make a serious run.

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Jaguars 2023 roster review: S Andrew ‘Dewey’ Wingard

Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard made an unlikely leap to become a fan favorite in his fourth season.

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is still off on the horizon. Join us in the NFL’s dead zone with a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

Andrew “Dewey” Wingard didn’t make the best first impression with the Jacksonville Jaguars faithful. Thrust into action as an undrafted rookie and eventually a full-time starter in his third season, the young defensive back struggled as the last line of defense for one of the NFL’s worst teams.

Then Wingard pulled off the unlikely feat of becoming a fan favorite in his fourth season.

In a reserve role behind starters Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco, Wingard made the most of his limited opportunities. Despite appearing in less than 20 percent of the Jaguars’ defensive snaps in 2022, Wingard had a nose for the football and was a star on special teams.

His emergence as an energetic and passionate personality in the locker room made Wingard a top priority for Jacksonville in the offseason and he was rewarded with a new three-year deal with the team.

Contract (2023): $1.08 million base salary, $1 million prorated signing bonus, $200,000 roster bonus, $250,000 workout bonus, $2.53 million salary cap hit.

Acquired: Jaguars signed Wingard as an undrafted free agent on May 10, 2019.

PFF grades:

  • 79.9 (2022)
  • 69.0 (2021)
  • 68.8 (2020)
  • 54.1 (2019)

Statistics:

  • One interception, one forced fumble, 37 tackles (2022)
  • One interception, one sack, 88 tackles (2021)
  • Two interceptions, one fumble recovery, 50 tackles (2020)
  • One forced fumble, one sack, 30 tackles (2019)

Highlight:

Quote: “We try to pride ourselves on being the smartest secondary in the league. When guys get in it takes them a minute to understand that every guy in this league is between 5’10 [and] 6’2, 200 pounds, and runs a 4.4 40. What’s going to separate us? Our mental edge. That’s what we try to work on every day, so it’s cool to see them start to transition to more being locked in on the mental side.” – Wingard

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Leonard Taylor (No. 49)
Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50) Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55)
Yasir Abdullah (No. 56) Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64)
Chandler Brewer (No. 67) Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73)
Cam Robinson (No. 74) Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79)
Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80) Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87)
Oliver Martin (No. 88) Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94)
Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95) Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Nick Thurman (No. 97) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus
Jacob Harris

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Andrew Wingard: Jaguars ‘pride ourselves on being smartest secondary’

“What’s going to separate us? Our mental edge.”

Not a single player in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ secondary was a first-round draft pick. Cornerback Tyson Campbell and safety Andre Cisco are the only two defensive backs on the team who were Day 2 selections.

But what the team lacks in elite physical talent on the back-end of its defense is made up for with intelligence, according to veteran safety Andrew Wingard.

In April, the Jaguars selected three defensive backs — safety Antonio Johnson, cornerback Erick Hallett, and cornerback Christian Braswell — in the last three rounds of the 2023 NFL draft. Wingard said the new additions to the roster are quickly learning how much the Jaguars prioritize intellect.

“It’s just cool seeing them come in to how we operate,” Wingard said Monday in an interview with Mia O’Brien of 1010XL. “A lot of them come in expecting it to be super physical or fast — it’s really all mental. We try to pride ourselves on being the smartest secondary in the league.

“When guys get in it takes them a minute to understand that every guy in this league is between 5’10 [and] 6’2, 200 pounds, and runs a 4.4 40. What’s going to separate us? Our mental edge. That’s what we try to work on every day, so it’s cool to see them start to transition to more being locked in on the mental side.”

Last year, the Jaguars secondary allowed the fifth most passing yards in the league. However, it came through down the stretch, allowing just 197.8 yards per game during the team’s five-game winning streak to close out the regular season.

While not many changes were made in the offseason to bolster the secondary or the team’s anemic pass rush, the Jaguars hope another year of growth for the team’s many young defensive players coupled with a second year under defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell will yield better results.

“It’s so awesome not having to learn a new defense in OTAs,” Wingard told O’Brien on Monday. “Being able to come in and just build off that baseline of last year, knowing all the plays. Learning all the other spots and how they correlate with the defense is fun and that’s what we’ve been trying to work on.”

In March, Wingard signed a three-year contract with the Jaguars a day before he was set to become a free agent.

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Andrew Wingard says he chose Jaguars over ‘a lot of good offers’

Dewey Wingard says he had other options before he chose to return to the Jaguars.

If there’s one thing that has become abundantly obvious about Andrew “Dewey” Wingard over the last year, it’s that he loves being a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Wingard was the mind behind the “It was always the Jags” quip that became the team’s mantra in 2022, and he once told reporters that he’d die for coach Doug Pederson. Now the safety and special teamer is back with the team on a three-year contract.

The new deal for Wingard came about 24 hours before he was set to hit free agency and more than a day after teams were able to start contacting his agent with contract offers. There wasn’t a lack of interest.

In an interview with John Shipley of Jaguar Report, Wingard said a return to Jacksonville was “100 percent” what he hoped would come to fruition.

“I had a lot of good interest, a lot of good offers stuff like that. And eventually, in my heart, I was like, I want to be in Jacksonville, I want to go win games with these guys and build something special. And, like I said, it’s just, it’s such a blessing to be back in Jacksonville. I can’t wait.”

Wingard, 26, joined the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent after the 2019 NFL Draft. In four seasons with the team, Wingard has recorded four interceptions, two sacks, seven tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles.

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