As much as Jacksonville struggled defensively last season, it’s not a surprise that the team was aggressive in addressing that side of the ball in free agency. Looking at the cornerback group specifically, the team drafted C.J. Henderson ninth overall last season, and though he looked promising before injuries ended his rookie campaign, it was clear that the position needed to be addressed this offseason.
In addition to re-signing corners Sidney Jones IV and Tre Herndon, the team added Shaquill Griffin from Seattle on a big deal, and he will likely line up opposite Henderson in 2021.
When asked about the group Friday, coach Urban Meyer said he’s pleased.
“…so we have three guys that we feel are [great],” he said. “One was a second-rounder [CB Sidney Jones IV], but obviously Shaq[uill Griffin], we feel very strong about. CJ has gone through his labrum surgery and he’s doing very well. Tre Herndon is another guy that has done some very good things here. I really like his competitiveness.
“So, I really like where we’re at with the four corners and that was obviously after d-line, that’s right where we went was to go fix the corner position.”
In addition to Griffin, the Jags helped out their safety group with the addition of Rayshawn Jenkins from the Chargers. They’ll hope that these moves are enough to noticeably improve the unit, which ranked sixth-worst in the NFL in passing defense in 2020.