Tag: Secondary

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.

Seahawks make signing of cornerback Pierre Desir official

The Seattle Seahawks have officially announced the signing of veteran, free-agent cornerback Pierre Desir for his second stint with the team.

The Seattle Seahawks have now confirmed the signing of veteran, free-agent cornerback Pierre Desir. His agency, EnterSports Management first announced the deal earlier this week.

This will mark Desir’s second stint in the Emerald City. He was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Browns. He then signed with Seattle as a member of the practice squad in 2016 and inked a futures contract for the next season but failed to make the 53-man roster cuts after training camp that year.

He has since spent time with the Colts, Jets, and Ravens.

Desir will add a veteran presence to the Seahawks secondary and undoubtedly compete for a starting spot this season.

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CB Pierre Desir agrees to terms with Seattle, will return to Seahawks

Free-agent cornerback Pierre Desir has agreed to terms on a one-year deal to return to the Seattle Seahawks in 2021.

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A familiar face will be returning to the Seattle Seahawks secondary. Free-agent cornerback Pierre Desir has agreed to terms on a one-year deal to return to the Emerald City, according to his agency, EnterSports Management.

Desir was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Browns. He landed in Seattle as a member of the practice squad in 2016 and signed a futures contract for the next season but failed to make the 53-man roster cuts after training camp that year. He has since spent time with the Colts, Jets, and Ravens.

The Seahawks have a couple of vacancies to fill in the secondary and Desir’s veteran experience could net him a roster spot heading into the season.

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Seahawks CB Damarious Randall’s contract details revealed

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Damarious Randall’s contract details for the 2021 season were recently revealed by ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Five days after signing with the Seattle Seahawks, cornerback Damarious Randall’s contract details have been revealed. ESPN’s Brady Henderson tweeted that it is a one-year deal worth $1.13 million.

Seattle previously acquired Randall in 2020 and he saw limited action during the season despite being in 10 games. After the season ended, he became a free agent and remained so until the Seahawks signed him earlier this month.

The Seahawks acquired another piece for their secondary at quite a reasonable price. Now to see what they will do in the 2021 draft, which will take place from April 29 to May 1.

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Oklahoma announces date for first spring practice

The Oklahoma Sooners announced the first practice date for spring football in a press release.

The spring football season is almost upon us as the Oklahoma Sooners announced the start date for the first spring practice. In a release by the Oklahoma Sooners athletics department, the first practice will kick off on Monday, Mar. 22. Lincoln Riley stated in his national signing day press conference that the spring game will take place sometime in April. Sooners Wire will keep you updated on the exact time.

Lincoln Riley are heading into spring with their starting quarterback in place with Spencer Rattler. While the quarterback is set, there will be plenty of other depth chart battles on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line has to figure out the center and right tackle. Incumbent starters Creed Humphrey and Adrian Ealy are NFL bound. The leading candidates are Chris Murray at center and Anton Harrison will battle Erik Swenson at right tackle. The depth at wide receiver also needs some clarity.

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For defense, the front four seem to be well in hand. Linebacker starters will include a duo combination of Brian Asamoah and David Ugwoegbu/DaShaun White. The big question is who will start at all three cornerback positions. Tre Brown, Tre Norwood, and Brendan Radley-Hiles are all missing from the secondary.

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Report: Former Texas DC Chris Ash joins Jaguars staff as secondary coach

Former Texas defensive coordinator Chris Ash will serve as the secondary coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars under head coach Urban Meyer.

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Former Texas defensive coordinator Chris Ash will be reuniting with Urban Meyer in Jacksonville. Continue reading “Report: Former Texas DC Chris Ash joins Jaguars staff as secondary coach”

Detroit Lions interviewing Rams CB coach Aubrey Pleasant for DB coach job

NFL Network’s Steve Wyche is reporting that the Detroit Lions plan to interview Los Angeles Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant, a Flint native, for their secondary coach position.

NFL Network’s Steve Wyche is reporting that the Detroit Lions plan to interview Los Angeles Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant for their secondary coach position. This would be considered a promotion, so the Rams are unable to block him from interviewing.

When Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley was hired as the LA Chargers head coach, our brother site Rams Wire listed Pleasant as their top candidate to replace him.

“Pleasant would make a ton of sense as the Rams’ next defensive coordinator,” Rams Wire’s Cameron DaSilva said. “He just finished his fourth season as the Rams’ cornerbacks coach, working under both Staley and Wade Phillips. The Rams have had one of the best cornerback units in the league in recent years, led by players such as Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Trumaine Johnson and Troy Hill.”

The Rams’ opted to hire former-Falcons DC/interim coach Raheem Morris for the position and it’s no surprise that Pleasant would be open to exploring other opportunities after being passed over — and Detroit makes a lot of sense considering he is a Flint native.

Pleasant works with several organizations to help Flint residents who have been impacted by the city’s compromised water supply. In the video below, you can see Pleasant’s passion when talked about his My Cause, My Cleats campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbDlfza85TQ

Pleasant began his coaching career in the state as well, starting out at Grand Blanc high school in 2010. He then joined the University of Michigan for two seasons before the NFL came calling. He took a position as a coaching intern with the Cleveland Browns during the 2013 training camp, then joined Washington that same season as an assistant. A year later he was promoted to defensive quality control, where he stayed for two years before taking the Rams position.

Over the last decade, Pleasant has quickly grown to be a highly respected coach. Before he left for the Chargers, Staley had its to say about Pleasant:

“Aubrey Pleasant is one of the elite coaches in the league,” Staley said via Rams Wire. “Aubrey, all you’ve got to do is ask Jalen Ramsey, ask Darious Williams, ask Troy Hill about their relationship with Aubrey. He’s a tireless worker. He’s a really talented communicator. He can see the game in all levels of the defense. Sometimes as a secondary guy, okay, do you just know the back end. He knows how the front and the back tie in together.”

Ok coach, let’s see what Ramsey has to say about Pleasant:

Pleasant is an ascending coach with strong ties to the state, and if he is a talented enough coach to make Ramsey a better player, the Lions would be wise to take a long hard look at adding him to their organization.

Texans secondary coach D’Anton Lynn joins Ravens as defensive backs coach

Houston Texans secondary coach D’Anton Lynn is joining the Baltimore Ravens as their defensive backs coach.

The Houston Texans will be looking for a new secondary coach.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, D’Anton Lynn will be leaving the team to join the Baltimore Ravens as their new defensive backs coach. The Ravens already have a former Texans coach on the staff in Anthony Weaver, who will be coaching the defensive line for the AFC North club after spending a season as Houston’s defensive coordinator.

Lynn, the son of former Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn, has been with the Texans since 2018 when he was the assistant secondary coach. When Anthony Midget left after the 2019 season to coach the Tennessee Titans’ defensive backs, Lynn was promoted to secondary coach.

Houston still hasn’t figured out who will be their new coach, the fourth full-time coach in team history. When they do, defensive coordinator and secondary coach should start to fall into place.

Texas Translation: Projecting the secondary in Kwiatkowski’s scheme

With a new defensive coordinator now in play, let’s break down the Texas secondary with Pete Kwiatkowski at the helm in 2021.

The final installment of the Texas Translation series focuses on the secondary in Pete Kwiatkowski’s scheme. This will be unique in that Terry Joseph is the passing game coordinator for Kwiatkowski’s defense. Steve Sarkisian brought in Joseph due to the fact that he was able to defend his offense in the passing game. The two will marry their schemes to defend the high-powered passing attacks in the Big 12.

Over the last four seasons in the Pac-12, Kwiatkowski’s scheme has severely limited offenses. Let’s take a look at the yards per game, yards per attempt, touchdowns surrendered and interceptions.

Washington under Kwiatkowski:

Year YPG YPA TDs INTs
2017 197.2 6.1 10 15
2018 190.1 5.8 12 11
2019 222.2 6.3 13 13
2020 185 6.3 5 3

Texas ranks in the same timeframe:

Year YPG YPA TDs INTs
2017 258.8 7.4 17 16
2018 261.4 7.4 26 12
2019 292.5 7.9 28 12
2020 266.4 6.8 17 10

The secondary will be deployed with five defensive backs, therefore it’s not dissimilar to the secondary deployed by the previous regime. Chris Ash’s scheme utilized two safeties, two cornerbacks and a ‘spur,’ with the latter being a linebacker and cornerback hybrid. They have to be physical enough to play like a linebacker but also able to play coverage like a nickel cornerback. It takes a unique athlete, see Chris Adimora for example.

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Defensive Back Personnel

(Courtesy of Patrick Conn/Longhorns Wire)

Safety play in Kwiatkowski’s scheme

The first position we look at is free safety. Kwiatkowski often deploys a single-high safety in the center of the field. In the screengrab above, he is standing about 15 or more yards from the line of scrimmage. This is to help in the passing game, especially on vertical routes. This is your coverage safety. Jerrin Thompson should be the guy to man this role for Kwiatkowski and Joseph.

Others could likely be in the mix as well. Incoming freshman J.D. Coffey could also be a name to consider, he has the skills of a ball-hawking safety on the back end. Coffey also fits the mold of another position, the rover. The rover is similar to the spur, but it is a mixture of an outside linebacker and box safety. Coffey fits what they would ask.

Chris Adimora fits the rover as well. Recently, we discussed the idea of giving Adimore the Budda Baker role. Other players who could play this role include B.J. Foster and Tyler Owens. Play them closer to the line of scrimmage and allow them to use their physicality. They would also handle coverage underneath and in the flats.

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The cornerbacks

The secondary will utilize three cornerbacks: Two play on the boundary and one in the nickel. This is very much a standard of all defenses, especially in the Big 12. Most teams utilize 11 personnel with three wide receivers on the field. D’Shawn Jamison is likely going to take one of the boundary spots. The other may be Darion Dunn, the transfer from McNeese State.

(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Dunn has the size to deal with bigger receivers and has a nose for the ball. He last played in 2019 since McNeese State’s season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the McNeese State website, Dunn hauled in five interceptions with 16 passes defended. Josh Thompson, Jahdae Barron and Kitan Crawford could be in the mix at nickel now that Jalen Green is heading to Starkville.

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Texans’ Romeo Crennel says CB Keion Crossen ‘learns from his mistakes’

The Houston Texans are having to dig deep for help at cornerback, but giving reps to Keion Crossen will help in the long run.

The Houston Texans don’t have any options at cornerback.

Bradley Roby is lost for the season serving a six-game suspension, and Gareon Conley could never get on the field after recovering from offseason ankle surgery. Phillip Gaines and rookie John Reid have similarly battled injuries in the past few weeks the have compromised Houston’s availability at cornerback.

Enter Keion Crossen. The third-year defensive back from Western Carolina has had to transition from being a special teams ace to being a cover corner for the injury-riddle Texans secondary.

“Keion has always had a lot of confidence in his ability and what he could do and now he’s getting an opportunity to play defense pretty much on a full-time basis,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said.

Over the past three starts, Crossen has collected 23 combined tackles and five pass breakups. His four pass breakups in the 37-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals were especially impressive as he earned them going against Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green.

“I think that you see that he competes,” said Crennel. “He will accept a challenge. He’s not perfect, but he learns from his mistakes and so I see him getting better and being able to make plays on the ball, and he tackles. I think this opportunity for him has been very helpful.”

Though Gaines may be back in time for the season finale against the Tennessee Titans Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Staidum, the Texans may continue to rely on Crossen as they attempt to lock up their AFC South rival’s dynamic receiving corps. Crossen would get a great learning experience guarding receiver A.J. Brown, who has 60 catches for 924 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. Houston will see the full force of the Titans as they have yet to lock up the division or a playoff spot.