Report: Jaguars Add Veteran Cornerback Darqueze Dennard to the Secondary

Jacksonville had made a new addition to their secondary with former first-round pick Darqueze Dennard.

Shortly after making a big upgrade to the linebacker position, the Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly done the same in the secondary. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jaguars have signed former Cincinnatti Bengals cornerback Darqueze Dennard.

Former #Bengals CB Darqueze Dennard is headed to the #Jaguars, source said. The former first rounder lands in Jax as they continue to add.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020

Earlier in the afternoon, the Jaguars added another former AFC North defender by signing Cleveland Browns linebacker Joe Schobert to a five-year, $53.75 million contract. Now, the Jaguars have upgraded a secondary that was badly missing cornerback depth following the departures of Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye.

Dennard, 28, was drafted with the No. 24 selection by the Bengals in 2014 and has been with Cincinnati since. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound cornerback has experience at both outside and inside cornerback, though his best performances have come from the slot.

Dennard: 6.7 yards/rec allowed since 2017
6th lowest among CBs pic.twitter.com/y1WUmtokXd

— PFF (@PFF) March 17, 2020

Of the slot corners that played 50%+ of their snaps inside, Darqueze Dennard ranks FIRST in catches allowed (14), yards (134), passer rating (68.4), yards per snap (0.57), snaps per target (9.0) and snaps per reception (16.8).

That's every category PFF keeps data on. Every one.

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) December 31, 2019

Jacksonville created a big need at the cornerback position when they traded Bouye to the Denver Broncos for a 2020 fourth-round draft selection earlier this month, leaving only Tre Herndon and D.J. Hayden as returning starters. With Dennard in the fold, the Jaguars have added another versatile and experienced cornerback to their ranks.

Dennard has played 77 games for the Bengals since 2014, including nine in 2019. He started 24 games for the Bengals, with 14 starts coming in the last two seasons. 

In his career, Dennard has 274 tackles, five tackles for loss, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, three sacks, and 22 pass deflections.

It is unclear what the terms of Dennard's agreement with the team is, but he gives them much-needed veteran depth in the secondary and has the inside/outside versatility to be used in a variety of roles in the defense. Expect for him to compete with both Hayden and Herndon for a starting role in 2020.

Even with Dennard in the fold, the Jaguars should still be a candidate to draft a cornerback early in April. Herndon had a solid season in 2019 (three interceptions, 13 pass deflections), but the Jaguars still need a bonafide No. 1 outside corner. It remains to be seen if Dennard will play on the outside or inside for Jacksonville, but that could also impact draft plans.