Winner: Jaguars pounce on a couple high-prized defenders
It’s hard not to like what the Jacksonville Jaguars have going on defense right now.
They pounced on two of the biggest free agent defenders on the market Thursday and added another veteran who will be a big help on the back end.
First, the big one. Jacksonville nabbed cornerback A.J. Bouye, who played for AFC South rival Houston the past few years. Bouye blossomed into a tremendous cover corner last season for the Texans and made his presence known with two interceptions during the playoffs, including one against Tom Brady. It was well known he’d be landing a huge contract wherever he signed, but the numbers are still a bit stunning (details here).
Now the Jags can pair Bouye with second-year stud Jalen Ramsey, who certainly lived up to his status as a first-round pick last year. Tying things up on the back end is the aforementioned veteran, Barry Church, who left the Dallas Cowboys to cover the back end for the Jaguars on a four-year deal worth up to $26 million.
Then to solidify the front end, Jacksonville lured dominant defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who chose the Jags over the Denver Broncos. Campbell now joins a defensive front that has offense-wrecking potential featuring the likes of Dante Fowler Jr. and Malik Jackson.
It was a very nice haul. Now, if only the offense could hold up its end of the bargain, the Jags will really have something.