The Jacksonville Jaguars were perhaps a bit ahead of schedule during the 2022 season, as they started 2-6 but ended the schedule with a five-game winning streak and finished first in the AFC South with a 9-8 record.
In the playoffs, they overcame a 27-0 deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers on a last-second field goal in the wild-card round before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
On Thursday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Jacksonville will be releasing cornerback Shaquill Griffin.
Breaking: CB Shaquill Griffin is expected to be released the #Jaguarssources tell @theScore. I’m told he was fully medically cleared and should command a lot of attention as one of the best corners to hit the FA market. Only 27, he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2019.
—Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 3, 2023
Griffin was limited to just five games this season because of a back injury, but before that, he posted four passes defended and three tackles for loss.
At age 27, he was recently a rising corner prospect who made the Pro Bowl during the 2019 season, when he had 13 passes defended and 65 tackles (45 solo) for a Seattle Seahawks team that made it to the NFC divisional round.
Griffin may not be the second coming of Champ Bailey or Ronnie Lott, but he could be a good pickup for a team that needs to shore up its secondary if he remains healthy.
The Jaguars could use some help in their own secondary, as they finished 19th in passing touchdowns given up and 28th in passing yards allowed in 2022.
They did pick up their overall defense as the season wore on, as they held the New York Jets and Houston Texans to just three points a piece in back-to-back weeks.
One thing is for sure: They’re a gathering storm on offense behind ascendant quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and wide receiver Christian Kirk.
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