JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – During the 2015 season the Jaguars ranked 29th in pass defense and 31st in points allowed. They also got a total of zero interceptions from the free safety position. In order to address that issue the Jaguars spent $35 million dollars on Tashaun Gipson.
The former Brown was named to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and finished with 14 interceptions during his four years in Cleveland. In order for Gus Bradley’s defense to operate efficiently you have to have a ball hawking free safety and Gipson has no doubt that he can do just that.
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“I think they let me go back there in the middle of the field and just play football,” said Gipson. “That’s one of the things that I pride myself on and being able to do. I feel like I’m the best at that. They’ve been allowing me to do that but also play within the scheme. There’s 10 other guys out there with me and whatever I can do to help those other 10 guys, I’m going to feed of them just like they feed off me.”
Having Gipson in the defensive back-field should also make life easier on strong safety Johnathan Cyprien. Last season he struggled in coverage but now that Gipson is playing over the top of the defense, Cyprien can get back to being a box safety.
“The things he [Cyprien] can do closer to the line of scrimmage is absolutely amazing,” said Gipson. “I’ve played with some of the better box safeties in the league, T.J. Ward, Donte Whitner and once he gets comfortable he can be just as good as those guys. I think he can be one of the premier box safeties in the league.”
Speed kills in the NFL. In addition to improving the pass rush the Jaguars made adding speed on defense a priority this offseason. Although players haven’t on strapped on the shoulder pads yet it’s clear that they’ve improved in that area.
“One thing you really notice is that there’s a lot of speed out there,” said Gipson. “There’s a lot of speed and guys are out there playing fast. That’s one the things you look at year in and year out. The teams that play fast on defense, are the teams that are playing meaningful games in November, December and potentially in January.”
When defenses play fast they also tend to cause turnovers. Last season the Jaguars had just nine interceptions which was tied for 26th in the NFL. With the addition of Gipson, Prince Amukamara and Jalen Ramsey they’re hoping to force more turnovers next season.
“We just need to be more consistent and make plays on the ball,” said Jaguars defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker. “I think so far we have 10 or 11 interceptions and I know it’s the offseason and we’re not playing real games just yet. But that is a positive for us. You can see we’re faster and guys are making plays on the ball.”