Texans Sign Ex-Jaguars Defender

A former Jacksonville Jaguars defender is heading to a divisional rival.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that former Jaguars cornerback Ronald Darby is set to join the Houston Texans on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Darby is the second former Jaguars to join the Texans this offseason, following in the tracks of former wide receiver Christian Kirk after the Jaguars traded him before the start of free agency.

Darby signed a two-year deal with the Jaguars after spending 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens.

Darby had a clear connection on the Jaguars' staff in former head coach Doug Pederson, who coached Darby from 2017-2019 in Philadelphia. But even his history with Pederson could not keep him from being benched for Montaric Brown last season, which made it easier for the Jaguars to move on from him.

Darby appeared in 13 games for the Jaguars last year and started 12, recording 46 tackles, three tackles for loss and nine pass deflections.

There has been a swap of sorts of defensive backs between the two franchises, with the Jaguars signing former Houston Texans safety Eric Murray last week. Along with former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis, the Jaguars are looking to change their secondary in a big way.

“Yeah, I think the defensive backfield, as a whole, has gotten better with the addition of Jourdan and Eric. One of the things between the two of them is that their experience, their stability, it offers exactly what's needed on that back end," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said last week.

"When you look at safety in particular, the root word there is ‘safe,’ and that's exactly what Eric provides. So, we're excited to bring him into the ecosystem and I know he's excited to take on a more notable leadership role than what he's had in previous years.”

Darby will face off the Jaguars twice next season, once in Houston and once in Jacksonville.

But even before the Jaguars' new regime came into place, it never looked like Darby would have a second year with the Jaguars. Now, that has led him directly into the 2025 plans of one of the Jaguars' most hated rivals and their biggest competition in the AFC South.

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