It’s no secret the Jacksonville Jaguars were deficient on defense last season, and especially so when it came to stopping the pass. A lot of that was due to problems with the team’s safeties.
In this week’s edition of the state of the roster, we are taking a look at a revamped collection of safeties that has a mix of veteran talent and young, exciting draft picks waiting in the wings.
Whereas the cornerback room could stand to be an automatic bright spot on this squad, the safety unit could be anything.
What will the Jags get from Darnell Savage and Antonio Johnson? Can Eric Murray make as big an impact as they hope? Is someone like Rayuan Lane the future?
There are a healthy amount of question marks with this unit, even including who is going to start once the season begins.
Contract: Second year of a 3-year, $21,750,000 deal.
Age: 27 (28 on July 31).
Games Played: 85 across six-year career, 13 last year in Jacksonville.
Stats: 51 tackles, one interception, six passes defended.
Notes:
Savage returns after an up-and-down year last year as the likely starter opposite of Murray. He played all over the field last season and will be asked to use his range again this season, mostly just at the safety position. The defense as a whole was a mess last year and Savage likely has drawn ire because of that. In new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s system, Savage may be able to take a bigger leap and make a larger impact given the skillset he has displayed across his career.
Darnell Savage brings in our third INT of the day!@darnellsavage_ | #MINvsJAX on FOX pic.twitter.com/Ch7HAtKn2h
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 10, 2024
Contract: First year of a 3-year, $19,500,000 deal.
Age: 31 (32 in January).
Games Played: 124 across nine seasons.
Stats: Career-high 10 passes defended last year, 385 career tackles, three picks, five sacks.
Notes:
The big free agent addition to Duval County was Murray by way of the Houston Texans. Murray is coming off a banner year, with a career-high 10 passes defended and a career-best 75 tackles. Since being drafted in 2016, Murray has played in 17 games just twice, including last season. Murray’s PFF grades last year were all about at the average mark earning a total grade of 63.8 (Savage ranked at 46.9). The key numbers are that Murray played almost 900 total snaps with a healthy distribution between run defense (321) and coverage (520). He missed just 13 tackles all year. If the Jags want a pair of athletic, do-it-all safeties, they seem to have it in Savage and Murray.
NO FLY ZONE ✈️
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) January 12, 2025
Also time to give Eric Murray the respect he deserves pic.twitter.com/yLJHE2wAxr
Contract: Third year of a 4-year, $4,141,832 rookie deal.
Age: 23 (24 in October).
Games Played: 30 across two seasons in Jacksonville.
Stats: Two career picks, five career passes defended, career-high 17 games played last season.
Notes:
Johnson didn’t have nearly as impressive a sophomore season as he did in his rookie year. Going back to PFF numbers, Johnson posted a 43.9. Only 13 safeties graded out worse than the former Texas A&M star last season. That being said, Johnson unsurprisingly shined in the run defense game where he posted a 75.2 grade on 229 total snaps. Johnson is still a raw talent and has been moved around during his time in the NFL. The upside is there with Johnson, but he will need to clean up his abysmal 35.2 passing game grade, which ranked ahead of just eight other safeties.
Contract: First year of a 4-year, $6,281,080 rookie deal.
Age: 22 (23 in December).
Games Played: 49 across four seasons at Troy and Tulane.
Stats: Four TFLs last season and one sack, three pass breakups.
Notes:
The first of the two safeties drafted this year by the Jags is Ransaw out of Tulane. At the combine, Ransaw posted a 90 overall athleticism grade and posted a blazing fast 4.33 40-yard dash. His 40 time would have been the fastest of all the safeties and was the third fastest among corners. He played corner in college but will be making the switch to safety in the pros, using his size (5’11”, almost 200 pounds) and speed to defend the defensive back end. Ransaw is an extremely exciting player the Jags will not be able to keep shelved for too long. He will certainly make an early impact on special teams, but it wouldn’t be surprising if someone like Savage struggles early that Ransaw gets in on the action.
Caleb Ransaw | Safety | 2023 / 2024 Highlights | Tulane➡️Jaguars pic.twitter.com/Nfwg0xxy4r
— Nash Henry (@NashJagsNats22) April 26, 2025
Contract: Final year of a 3-year, $9,600,000 deal.
Age: 28 (29 in December).
Games Played: 86 across eight years with Jacksonville.
Stats: Five career picks, 12 passes defended.
Notes:
Maybe Dewey cursed us all by waving that Terrible Towel. Maybe it was worth it. We may never know. But if there is a heart and soul player on the Jags it’s Wingard. What he does for this team is mostly off the field and in the locker room, though he can be a fine replacement player when needed. He should be a good teacher for the likes of Ransaw and Lane. For a depth player and special teamer, the Jags could do far worse than Wingard.
Contract: First year of a 4-year, $4,422,176 rookie deal.
Age: 22 (23 in June).
Games Played: 49 across four seasons with Navy.
Stats: 20 passes defended, seven career picks, three forced fumbles last season.
Notes:
In the dictionary beside the definition of loyalty, there is a picture of Lane. Lane played all four of his college seasons at Navy. He had the chance to leave and make six-figure NIL deals at bigger schools, but chose to stay at his service academy and finish what he started. He will be a Marine when his NFL days are over. Simon Carroll details his journey more in depth HERE. If there is a player to get completely overly pumped about during camp, it should be Lane. He is the exact same size as Ransaw and plays just about the same. He was a First-Team All-American Athletic Conference last season after earning a Third-Team nod in 2023. He should be a special teams ace early in his career.
RAYUAN LANE III CALLED GAME! PICK 6! @NavyFB pic.twitter.com/RYxAYl2gma
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) September 21, 2024
Contract: Last year of a 2-year, $4,000,000 deal.
Age: 27 (28 in July).
Games Played: 71 across five seasons in Jacksonville.
Stats: 71 career tackles, one career pick.
Notes:
Another player in the Wingard archetype is Thomas. Thomas has never been a big impact player for the Jags defensively but is a great special teamer. He is a glue guy around the team and is worth keeping around because of it. Like Wingard, he isn’t going to wow you or be someone fans clamor to see man the backend. But he is an above-replacement player and can make an impact when called upon.
Contract: First year of a 3-year, $2,966,500 rookie deal.
Age: 22 (23 in October).
Games Played: 47 across four college seasons at Jackson State and Colorado.
Stats: Career-highs in tackles (89), passes defended (three) and sacks (two) last year. Wore Colorado “L” patch for being a team leader.
Notes:
A former teammate of Travis Hunter at Colorado, Silmon-Craig joined the team as a UDFA. He will start as a practice squad player. Silmon-Craig had a strong year last season with a career-high 89 tackles and three passes defended. He played a lot of box safety and a lot of special teams. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders was a huge proponent of Silmon-Craig, and his numbers do a lot to back that up. For a more in-depth look at his career, go HERE.
The Colorado Buffaloes had a really good defense last year. The best defender on the team was Travis Hunter, the best player in this year's draft & then Cam'ron Silmon-Craig. Not only did he constantly make big plays. He was a leader on that field. On this final drive by Baylor,… pic.twitter.com/69qTbU7xd9
— NoSkoZone (@noskozone) April 6, 2025
What are your thoughts on the Safety unit entering 2025? Let us know in the comments below!
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