Why James Gladstone Believes in Jaguars' Strides in Secondary

It was no secret what the Jacksonville Jaguars were looking for when it came to their secondary this offseason.

After a year in which the Jaguars faced injuries throughout the unit and had to lean on young players in critical situations, the Jaguars needed some stability in the secondary. No more youthful mistakes. No more question marks.

As such, the Jaguars made it a priority to add defensive backs in free agency with the experience and reliability to quickly improve the unit.

After agreeing to three-year deals with Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis and Houston Texans safety Eric Murray, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone thinks they have done exactly that.

“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," Gladstone said.

"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."

Lewis and Murray are both expected to be Day 1 starters for Jacksonville's new-look secondary, which could of course still add pieces in next month's draft.

Ultimately, the Jaguars saw the secondary as a unit that needed leadership and consistency in the form of two experienced veterans. How they build the secondary out around them remains to be seen, but this appears to be a unit the Jaguars are confident they have already upgraded in.

Lewis especially is coming off a career season with the Cowboys, continuing to establish himself as one of the best slot cornerbacks -- and most underrated defenders -- in all of football.

"One of the most exciting elements to Jourdan Lewis is that every offensive coordinator that I’ve come in contact with has always highlighted him as somebody who they have to account for in their game planning, and when you turn on the film, it’s easy to see why," Gladstone said.

"Now, one of the things that we really wanted to do for our defensive backfield is bring a veteran presence with a level of doggedness and toughness that was going to level up our current style of play. Jourdan is somebody who we believe highly in to bring that and offer that skillset to our football team.”

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