Veteran cornerback Ronald Darby is set to continue his road trip around the NFL. After time in Buffalo, Philadelphia, Washington, Denver and most recently Baltimore, Darby has agreed to a new deal with the Jaguars, per Jordan Schutlz of Bleacher Report.
The deal will reportedly be for two years and worth a maximum of $10M.
Darby has been an NFL starter for most of his career since getting drafted in the second round by the Bills back in 2015. Routinely an extremely effective defender, according to Pro Football Focus who ranked him as the 36th best cornerback out of 127 graded in the NFL this year, injuries have dogged Darby throughout his career, mostly during his time with the Eagles and Broncos.
Though he hasn’t recorded an interception since the 2019 season, Darby effectively grades out at a strong cover corner and a good tackler.
He leaves Baltimore, where he started seven games as an injury replacement for All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey. He proved to be a valuable offseason addition, just edging out Humphrey for the second-most snaps in the Ravens‘ cornerbacks room.
Other offseason additions like Rock Ya-Sin and Arthur Maulet are also free agents, but the team returns Humphrey and starter Brandon Stephens and should be able to come to an agreement with nickel cornerback Ar’Darius Washington, who is a restricted free agent. Expect them to pursue depth additions through free agency and the draft, though.
In Duval, Darby arrives to a similar role. Tyson Campbell returns as a top starter and, after the team released Darious Williams last week, Darby will have a chance to compete with Montaric Brown and Tre Herndon for a starting role opposite Campbell.
Any have the potential to earn the job, though Brown has struggled through his first two seasons, but the Jaguars may still opt to pursue established starters or a highly ranked draft prospect in the weeks to come in order to supplement the existing group.
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