Tag: rayshawn jenkins

Report: No suspension expected for Jags safety Rayshawn Jenkins after scuffle with WR Jauan Jennings

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero says Rayshawn Jenkins won’t miss time on the field through suspension after his scuffle with WR Jauan Jennings in Sunday’s game.

Though it may cost him, Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins isn’t expected to be suspended for his scuffle with San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings on Sunday. However, the league will review the situation and decide what actions should or shouldn’t be taken, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The play that is being reviewed came around the 9:42 minute mark of the second quarter on a third-and-two where receiver Deebo Samuel was stopped by safety Andrew Wingard for a loss during a rushing attempt. However, Jenkins and Jennings started to tussle away from the play after the whistle. That led to Jenkins slapping Jennings, and as a result, the veteran safety was thrown out of the game and flagged for unnecessary roughness.

If he’s fined, this won’t be the first time the NFL has hit Jenkins in the pocket. He was fined twice (for individual fines of $10,300) for taunting Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins. One of those fines was for making slight helmet contact with receiver Mack Hollins after a play, while the other was for taunting in the fourth quarter where tight end Durham Smythe hauled in a catch.

When looking at some of the taunting penalties the league has called, some fans and players feel as though the league is overreacting to relatively minor situations. However, even under the old rules, the league isn’t likely to accept players striking each other after the whistle, and it’s all but guaranteed that Jenkins will get yet another letter in the mail from Roger Goodell and Co.

Moving forward, the veteran will need to be careful about not putting his teammates and himself in bad situations as a captain, especially as his reputation for taunting precedes him on the field and he falls under more scrutiny.

 

Good, bad, and ugly from the Jags’ loss to the 49ers

Sunday’s game against the 49ers provided mostly “bad” and “ugly” takeaways, and the concerning part is that it’s unknown if things will get better for the Jags this season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had one of their worst performances Sunday, which resulted in a disappointing 30-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. As a result, they moved to a 2-8 record on the season, including an unimpressive 2-4 home record.

As the score indicates, a lot didn’t go right for the Jags from the start, and with a talent deficit also in their way, they were never able to recover as Jimmy Garoppolo turned in an impressive day against the defense. Then on offense, the team’s struggles to move the ball continued, though they were up against a top-10 unit.

As hard as the game was to watch, we came away with many takeaways, and here’s the good, bad, and ugly ones that stood out to us and many of the fans that watched:

NFL fines Rayshawn Jenkins over $20,000 for taunting

Rayshawn Jenkins pockets were a little lighter than usual this week as the NFL hit him with two fines after the Jags defeated Miami.

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins got to enjoy his first win with the team a week ago, but it wasn’t long before the NFL rained on his parade. The veteran was hit with two fines for $10,300 for taunting in last week’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

As is the case with most players, Jenkins was not happy about the fines and expressed his displeasure with them on Twitter through a video that showed one of the two plays he was fined for.

Upon going back and looking at the liNFL fines Rayshawn Jenkins over $20,000 for tauntingbroadcast, Jenkins made a tackle on receiver Mack Hollins and got up and briefly had a few words with him while making harmless helmet-to-helmet contact with him. However, in 2021 the league has stressed not having extra-curricular activities after the whistle, and in this particular instance, they used Jenkins as an example. That said, it appears players are better off heading directly to their huddles after each play to avoid getting fined, although it takes a lot of highlight moments and the fun out of the game.

Later in Sunday’s game, Jenkins was hit with a taunting penalty on another play in the fourth quarter after Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe hauled in a catch. That, of course, was the play that caused the league to give him the second fine mentioned above.

Clearly, the game that is being played today on the gridiron isn’t the same as it once was, and some of the simple things players once did are no longer acceptable by the NFL’s eyes. With that being the case, hopefully, Jenkins has learned a lesson in terms of saving himself some money and also has learned from an instance that could’ve hurt the team as far as penalties go.

Jags safety Rayshawn Jenkins on C.J. Henderson trade: ‘We have everybody that we need’

Jenkins praised Henderson as a player but said he doesn’t expect a major disruption from the trade.

Jacksonville made headlines on Monday morning as news broke that the team would be trading 2020 first-round pick C.J. Henderson to the Carolina Panthers along with a fifth-round pick in exchange for tight end Dan Arnold and a third-round pick.

The second-year cornerback missed a large chunk of his rookie season with injuries, but he had a good preseason and had a solid start to the 2021 season with Jacksonville. Without him, the Jaguars will turn to rookie Tyson Campbell, who the team took from Georgia at the top of the second round, to start on the outside.

The Jags had high hopes for Henderson, and this is a disappointing way for his tenure in Duval to end. However, safety Rayshawn Jenkins said that he doesn’t expect Henderson’s departure to cause a major disruption.

“I wouldn’t say we’re too shaken up,” he said. “I feel like we have everybody that we need… C.J. was a good player, I know he’s going to go there and make an immediate impact. Wish him the best.”

Henderson is known as a quieter player and wasn’t considered to be a vocal leader for the team. But asked if that made working with him difficult, Jenkins quickly shot down that suggestion.

“Everybody learns differently, everybody interacts with people differently, I wouldn’t say it was difficult,” he said. “It was different but it wasn’t difficult for me. I’ve been in plenty of situations where I had to communicate or interact with someone who’s just a little bit different, it is what it is.”

Henderson’s tenure in Jacksonville was promising at times, but it also seemed like he never really clicked with the new coaching staff, and a change of scenery could be beneficial to his career. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have to prepare to take on a Cincinnati Bengals passing game that is quickly improving on a short week, and they’ll have to do so without one of their best defensive backs.

PFF breaks down the best, worst case scenarios for the Jags

After running some simulations, PFF charted some records that would be the best and worst case scenario for the Jags, who were 1-15 in 2020.

While he inherited a roster that registered one-win, Urban Meyer believes he can turn the Jacksonville Jaguars around immediately. Of course, all the nation’s NFL analysts seem to disagree with him on that, mostly slotting the Jags around five wins.

However, the crew at Pro Football Focus took a different approach by projecting the best and worst-case scenarios for the Jags (and NFL in general). Unsurprisingly, both scenarios were a lot better than last season’s results, which marked the worst season in Jags history.

With an additional game coming in the regular season, PFF had the Jags registering a 5-12 record for their worst-case scenario. This was mostly attributed to a scenario where Trevor Lawrence looked average due to the offensive line struggling, which is a concern PFF has long had.

How they get there: Trevor Lawrence looks more like a typical rookie quarterback than the “generational” prospect he was billed as coming out of Clemson. Part of that stems from an offensive line that struggles to provide clean pockets for him. Cam Robinson (61.7 PFF grade in 2020) and Jawaan Taylor (56.5) don’t show the signs of improvement that Jacksonville is hoping for at tackle in 2021. 

Meanwhile, the offseason additions of Shaquill Griffin, Rayshawn Jenkins, Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco in the secondary aren’t as impactful as the investment in those players would suggest. 

As for the best-case scenario, the Jags were slotted with an 11-6 record, which PFF felt would be a slim possibility if their skill weapons play to their potential and their young pass-rushers stepped up.

How they get there: The above-average offense Jacksonville flashed early in the 2020 season is back with Lawrence, Marvin Jones Jr. and Travis Etienne added to the mix. Laviska Shenault Jr. is much more than a “gadget” receiver in his second season out of Colorado after seeing an average depth of target of just 6.6 yards downfield as a rookie. 

New defensive coordinator Joe Cullen is able to bring some elements from Baltimore’s defense with him to Jacksonville, as well. That, along with improvement from second-year edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, keeps the Jaguars from having one of the league’s worst defenses again in 2021. 

Simply put, Jags fans would be ecstatic about 11 wins, although it seems very unlikely at the moment. That would even best their 2017 run where they almost made the Super Bowl and would match the win totals that got both the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts into the 2020 postseason.

Right now, especially with so much turnover, registering five to six wins feels more likely than getting 11. However, if the Jags’ defense is drastically better than 2020’s unit, and Lawrence has instant success as he did at Clemson, the team could shock people as they did in 2017.

PFF not high on Jags’ secondary heading into 2021 season

Pro Football Focus ranked Jacksonville’s new-and-improved secondary just 27th, indicating that it doesn’t think the unit will improve much.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars made their run to the AFC title game in 2017, the secondary was at the core of an all-time defense. Led by young star Jalen Ramsey with a strong supporting cast that included A.J. Bouye, Tashaun Gipson, and Barry Church, the unit finished second in the league in interceptions with 21 on the year.

But now, all those players are gone. Ramsey and Bouye were traded, and Gipson and Church were released after their play dropped off. The team used one of the first-round picks it netted from the Ramsey trade to select his replacement last year in C.J. Henderson, who notched an interception in the season opener and loose impressive but struggled at times after that. Injuries also held him out of eight games.

Despite playing most defensive snaps when he was healthy, his impact could’ve been better for a selection taken in the top-10, and Jacksonville’s passing defense suffered. The patchwork unit finished as the sixth-worst defense against the air attack.

This offseason, Jacksonville completely revamped the unit. Henderson might be the only incumbent starter that will retain his role, and the group has a good mix of veterans and young players with potential. Still, that’s not enough to convince Pro Football Focus that the Jags’ secondary is significantly better as we approach the preseason. In its preseason power rankings of defensive backfields, the Jaguars came in at the No. 27 spot.

Jacksonville certainly hasn’t ignored its secondary over the past two offseasons. Between the additions of C.J. Henderson, Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco in the draft and Shaquill Griffin and Rayshawn Jenkins in free agency, it’s a completely rebuilt unit.

There are some questions about how those pieces fit together in new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen’s scheme, though. None of Henderson, Griffin and Campbell is a natural fit in the slot, but they are the three cornerbacks the Jaguars should want on the field. It’s also worth monitoring Jacksonville’s volume of man coverage early in the year. Griffin, in particular, has graded much better throughout his career in zone (81.3 coverage grade) than man (37.0 coverage grade).

Though Jacksonville retained a lot of the players who saw significant action with Henderson’s injury, like Tre Herndon and Sidney Jones, they were likely relegated to depth when the team brought in Griffin from Seattle. The 25-year-old had a career-high three interceptions last year despite only appearing in 12 games, and he was rewarded with a big-time deal from the Jags.

Griffin has a lot less to prove than Henderson, who showed promise but far from reassured the Jaguars that they made the right call selecting him ninth. The selection of Campbell from Georgia to lead off the second round was a bit curious given the presence of Henderson and Griffin, but it will likely put pressure on the former to improve in his second year.

The safety duo could also be totally different, as Jenkins comes in after contributing quite a bit in his four years with the Chargers, and Cisco, a third-round pick, is a risk/reward player coming off an ACL injury. Health limited him to just 24 games in college at Syracuse, but there was a time when he was considered a first-round prospect and one of the top safeties in the draft. If Jacksonville gets that level of play from him, this will be one of the biggest steals of the entire draft.

This is still a young group, and its play will largely depend on the development of Henderson and the other young players expected to play significantly this year. But from a production standpoint, it’s hard to imagine the unit won’t improve and surpass its current ranking from PFF.

Jags’ secondary among the most improved, per PFF

After an offseason in which addressing the secondary was a priority, PFF thinks the Jags will improve significantly in that regard.

Despite the revolving door at the quarterback position, there was an even greater problem that led to Jacksonville’s league-worst 1-15 season in 2020: a defense that ranked second to last in the league in yards allowed. Though its run defense was the worst offender (ranking 30th), the passing defense didn’t fare much better, finishing 27th in the NFL.

Entering this offseason, addressing the secondary was one of the top priorities outside of selecting former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall. In that regard, general manager Trent Baalke and coach Urban Meyer can say, “mission accomplished.” According to Pro Football Focus, Jacksonville’s secondary is among the four most improved this offseason.

The biggest addition was cornerback Shaquill Griffin from the Seattle Seahawks, who signed a three-year, $44.5 million deal. The Jags also added safety Rayshawn Jenkins from the Los Angeles Chargers. Both should start at their respective positions in 2021, and Jacksonville added even more potential starting options in the draft.

The team used its second-round pick (which led off the round at 33rd overall) to select Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell, a pick many analysts felt was a reach but Meyer said was made due to Campbell’s versatility. He will likely battle with 2020 first-round pick CJ Henderson for a starting spot on the outside, but given Meyer’s comments, it seems very likely he’ll start his career in the nickel.

With the first pick in the third round at 65th overall, the Jaguars addressed secondary again by taking Syracuse safety Andre Cisco, a player whose college career was limited to 24 games due to injuries. But they were an impressive 24 games, as he totaled 13 interceptions and broke up 14 passes.

Jenkins, who amassed 58 tackles and two picks in 2020 with the Chargers, was signed to start at strong safety. Though Jacksonville still has 2020’s free safety starter on the roster in Jarrod Wilson, a strong camp from Cisco could be enough to take over the starting job.

The Jaguars’ secondary will be one of the youngest in the league, with its “veterans” in Jenkins and Griffin being 27 and 25, respectively. But with all the investment that’s been made in the unit since Meyer and Baalke arrived, it could be one of the league’s best in a short span.

How Chargers can replace safety Rayshawn Jenkins

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins is gone, now what?

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins showed his worth on the field and he was rewarded for it. However, it wasn’t by the Chargers. Instead, the Jaguars were the team who remunerated Jenkins.

Many, including myself, expected Los Angeles to re-sign Jenkins, with the expectation that he was going to form a tandem with Derwin James coming back next season.

Now L.A. has a hole at free safety.

On the roster, the Chargers have Nasir Adderley, who is coming off a rough sophomore season. While he showed some flashes in spurts, he was too inconsistent in the single-high role in Gus Bradley’s system.

Maybe head coach Brandon Staley, who’s proven to get the most out of his defensive players, sees this as an opportunity to maximize Adderley’s potential.

Scheme should play a factor, too. With Staley, he prefers two-high safety looks. Therefore, while he will still play the centerfield role, it wouldn’t be as often and the tasks would be less stressful.

Or maybe Staley sees guys in this year’s draft class that can replace Jenkins. A few worth noting are Ar’Darius Washington, Andre Cisco, Tyree Gillespie, Damar Hamlin, Shawn Davis, among others.

The Chargers could elect to dip into the free agency pool to sign one, with guys like Anthony Harris, Malik Hooker, Will Parks and Jaquiski Tartt being a few who I like to fill that role.

The bottom line is like the offensive line, cornerback, edge defender and tight end position, Los Angeles will have to address this spot at some point.

Tracking former Chargers and their new homes

While the Los Angeles Chargers have added some players, they have also lost some of their own to other teams.

We are in the midst of the second day of the legal tampering period, the day before signings become official.

The Chargers were quite active agreeing to terms with center Corey Linsley and tackle/guard Matt Feiler while also re-signing cornerback Michael Davis.

While Los Angeles has added some players, they have also lost some of their own to other teams.

On Monday, safety Rayshawn Jenkins agreed to a four-year deal worth $35 million with the Jaguars. Linebacker Nick Vigil is going to the Vikings on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million.

On Tuesday, tight end Hunter Henry joined coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $37.5 million. The Texans added quarterback Tyrod Taylor on a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million.

We will continue to update this as agreements roll through.

Rayshawn Jenkins’ deal worth $35 million over 4 years with $16 million guaranteed

The former Chargers safety will be paid $35 million over four years with $16 million guaranteed in Jacksonville.

The contract terms of new Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins have been released. It’s a four-year, $35 million contract, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissaro. The deal guarantees Jenkins $16 million, and with added incentives, the total value of the contract could reach $39.5 million.

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1371767765854519297?s=20

ESPN’s Jeremy Folwer initially reported that the two had come to an agreement on Monday, and now we know exactly how big Jenkins’ contract will be.

Per Over the Cap, Jenkins’ cap number for 2021 will be just under $4 million. Afterward, his cap number will increase to figures of $10 million, $10.2 million, and $10.7 million in the remaining three years, respectively.

The 27-year-old strong safety was a fourth-round pick out of Miami in 2017, and after seeing limited action in his first two seasons, he became a starter heading into last season. In 31 starts over the last two years (every game he played in), he’s totaled five interceptions, and he’s coming off the best season of his career. He totaled 84 tackles (four for loss) and made his first career unassisted sack.

A big contract year in which he finished second on the Chargers in tackles paid off with a big deal for Jenkins. Meanwhile, the Jaguars just made him the fourth-highest paid player on the team with his $8.75 million salary, and they will hope that he’s the cure for their secondary ills from a year ago.