BREAKING NEWS: NFL Insider Breaks Down What Jaguars Are Getting in Darnell Savage
However, the question remains: what can the Jaguars expect from the first-round pick of 2019? Seeking insight, we consulted Justis Mosqueda, a Green Bay Packers specialist from SB Nation’s Acme Packing Company.
What were the reasons behind Savage not re-signing with the Packers? Was there any inclination or intention from either party.
Mosqueda: It seemed like they liked Savage, but the coaching staff change meant that they thought he was going to be a slot in their scheme moving forward. Savage was the team’s starting safety, and they claimed that he was playing his best ball of his career last year. Some reports since the season claimed that he was thought of a slot for if they brought him back under Hafley, which meant that he would have been Keisean Nixon’s backup in this defense. I think they just got priced out.
According to Mosqueda, the player’s strong man coverage abilities were the primary reason he was a first-round draft pick. Mosqueda believes the player is still agile and capable of moving effectively on the field but was not given the chance to showcase his skills in man coverage under DC Joe Barry, who favored a zone match defense within a two-high formation. The player was initially drafted to excel in the man-coverage system of Mike Pettine, which might have resulted in better performance if he had the opportunity to continue playing in that system over multiple seasons.
According to Mosqueda, the player struggled with fulfilling the run responsibilities that were expected of the two high safeties on the Packers’ team. Additionally, the situation was not in the player’s favor as he likely became the team’s top safety in the absence of Adrian Amos, who faced challenges with his performance in the past two years before his departure.
Mosqueda pointed out that although the team invested heavily in Xavier McKinney, the second safety spot remains vacant. It is intriguing that they are considering utilizing him in the slot position in the future, but the team’s safety position is still not a strong suit for them.
