JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars have invested a ton of assets into their secondary.
From Tyson Campbell’s extension, selection of Travis Hunter, signing of Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray, the Jaguars have made it known through their actions that the secondary needed some work, a lot of work.
The Jags’ secondary ranked last in nearly every statistical category so the viewpoint is certainly warranted.
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Rookie nickel Jarrian Jones was about the unit’s only saving grace as Tyson Campbell and company struggled in the man-heavy scheme under Ryan Nielsen.
In the draft, James Gladstone traded up to select the unicorn himself, Travis Hunter, who figures to play both ways in Jacksonville. However, it was their third round selection of Caleb Ransaw that puzzled many initially but the vision was there.
Ransaw, largely a nickel cornerback at Tulane, plays with physicality and toughness. He led all FBS cornerbacks in 2023 with a missed tackle rate of just 1.8%. His career missed tackle rate of 5.4% is top tier for any cornerback.
It’s for these reasons and his skills in zone coverage that have the Jaguars intrigued with Ransaw at the safety position.
The Jaguars cornerback room is pretty full with Campbell, Jones, Lewis, Hunter, and Montaric Brown, however, there is a path for Ransaw to become one of the Jaguars’ starting safeties in the future.
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On top of his physicality and tackling prowess, Ransaw is an incredible athlete, posting a 9.75 RAS. His 4.33 40-yard dash is among the fastest ever if graded out as a safety. In fact, he would be the second fastest safety ever. Ransaw is pretty dang good in coverage too.
Last season, Ransaw allowed just a 43.5% completion rate, his best season in coverage. Much of his time in college came at nickel, 766 snaps to be exact.
It’s generally a much easier transition to safety than say outside cornerback. While he’s been solid overall in coverage, I mentioned his skills in zone.
Last season, Ransaw allowed just three receptions on nine targets for 45 yards. It wasn’t as though he didn’t see a lot of play in zone, Ransaw was just rarely targeted.
The Jaguars have flexibility needed to develop and mold Ransaw into the player that they envision. He doesn’t need to start or even play right away as there are other players who can fill in the short term.
The hope is, with Ransaw’s physicality, athleticism, and coverage skills, that he can develop into a starting safety for the Jaguars down the line and eventually replace or complement Eric Murray.
Jaguars fans will have to be patient with Ransaw but the reward might just be worth all the risk.
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