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Jacksonville Jaguars' Darnell Savage has 'unique' role, downplays emotions vs. Packers
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- Jacksonville Jaguars' Darnell Savage has 'unique' role, downplays emotions vs. Packers
Darnell Savage isn't satisfied with just a solid game.
He wants to be around the action, make plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars and usher in a new dynamic within the secondary.
"I'm selfish. So, if I don't leave the team with two picks and two TFLs (tackles for loss), I don't think I played that good," Savage said in the locker room just after the team's Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins .
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Against the Dolphins, Savage was one of the team's top defensive backs. According to NextGenStats, he allowed just two receptions on five targets for 10 yards, a passer rating of 47.9. Savage posted a coverage EPA of -4.6, the ninth-best rating among players targeted at least five times that week.
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He accounted for two pass breakups in the game and seemed to always be around the football.
Since then, Jacksonville's secondary has been up and down, and Savage has been on and off the field. He dealt with a quad injury that sidelined him for three weeks until he suited up against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.
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But, a player with his skill set and ability helps Jacksonville's defense immensely, giving the team a chess piece player to work around and for opposing offenses to be aware of.
Most importantly, though, in defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen's defense the position fits Savage to a T.
Packers game won't be a 'reunion' for Darnell Savage
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 01: Darnell Savage #26 of the Green Bay Packers carries the ball after he intercepted a pass by Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants in the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 01, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.The Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants 31-13. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Savage spent five seasons with the Packers after the team drafted him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but that doesn't mean he will have any extra emotions heading into the matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. in EverBank Stadium .
"This is already an emotional game as is. So, it's championship week for us because it's the next week. We just ready to just go 1-0 each and every week, just trending into the right direction," Savage said Tuesday when asked about the potential reunion.
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Savage started 69 games for the Packers, playing in 72. Savage accounted for 302 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and nine interceptions during his tenure with Green Bay . Most of his teammates are still with the team, but Savage isn't expecting a family atmosphere.
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"I'm here to play a football game. It's not a reunion. We're here to go 1-0 this week so, that's how we treating it. That's how I'm treating it," Savage said when asked about who he's looking forward to seeing Sunday.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said Monday that players typically set aside emotions when playing their former team.
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"I think during the week you make more of it — maybe [QB] Mac Jones last week talked to some of his buddies in New England and vice versa. So, I think that's during the week. But once you tee it up and kick it off, it's definitely a game and you focus on your job," said Pederson.
Darnell Savage's role is clear, and it's unique to him: 'It's me'
Many questioned Savage's role when the Jaguars signed the former Green Bay Packer to a three-year, $21.75 million contract in March.
The team already had Andre Cisco as one of the starting safeties and, while they released veteran Rayshawn Jenkins ; 2023 fifth-round pick S Antonio Johnson was widely viewed as the safety-in-waiting. Andrew Wingard , another veteran safety, was also looked at as a potential replacement leaving Savage without a locked-in position.
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After rehabbing a shoulder injury suffered last year with Green Bay, Savage was eased into the team's defense. While on the field during training camp, he was limited to a non-contact penny and relegated to safety.
It wasn't until Week 1 that observers figured out how the defensive back would be used — everywhere.
Against the Dolphins, Savage was used as an outside linebacker, inside linebacker, slot corner and free safety. He received the majority (51%) of his 49 reps on defense in the slot as the team's nickel corner (25 snaps).
Savage's role is "very, very unique," Nielsen said after Week 1.
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"He was flying around. His ability to play close to the line of scrimmage and deep on the safety positions and be able to play different coverages with his skill set. The nickel safety, and if you need him to in a pinch, he can go out there and play some corner, certain things, because nickel's very similar," Nielsen said of Savage's performance against Miami.
Jacksonville Jaguars safety Darnell Savage (6) is introduced before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
"So, you fired up about the guy. He's very confident. He came off the field feeling very confident, he did a good job. We are as well. We've just got to continue to go with that. You'll see him continue to move around within the package," he added.
Savage isn't green in this role. While he played as one of the high safeties in Green Bay during his five years with the team, he played a similar role with Maryland, lining up anywhere and everywhere to give his team better defensive looks. He loved returning to that role in Jacksonville.
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"It's me. It just fits me. Being in the mix, being in the action, it's just always been me," Savage said ahead of the team's Week 2 game against the Cleveland Browns in September. "Safety is a different animal. A lot of people don't really understand it. I feel like I've come a long way as far as just playing safety in general, but some of the other things I'm able to do, I feel like it just makes it a lot easier, especially for coach Nielsen."
What Savage brings can impact the entire secondary, giving leeway for a defensive coordinator.
"It's personnel. So, you got different personnel groups that teams mix in. They have two tight ends ... saying it's just matching personnel. But when you got a guy that, you know, I played safety, I can cover receivers, I can cover a tight end and I can cover... anything," Savage said when asked what a position like the one he plays in Jacksonville can do for a defense.
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"So, you got guys like that out there, you can just keep your cards how they are and just make plays. It's pretty cool. I feel like it gives [Nielsen] a little bit of leeway to be free."
Jaguars secondary in constant flux, Savage takes changes in stride
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin (16) is tackled by Jacksonville Jaguars safety Darnell Savage (6) as safety Antonio Johnson (26) looks on during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Jacksonville has had a lot of movement in the secondary this season.
After Week 1, the team was without top corner Tyson Campbell for five games as he nursed a hamstring injury. Savage missed time, too, and the Jaguars have had to adapt.
The returns haven't been positive. Jacksonville ranks 31st in pass defense, giving up 273.9 yards per game through the air.
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This past week, though, Jacksonville got Campbell back and Nielsen adjusted the secondary after recent week struggles.
Savage, for instance, was moved back to safety replacing Johnson. Johnson was relegated to a dime (sixth defensive back) role and rookie DB Jarrian Jones played in the slot. The changes were by design, Pederson said Monday.
"He played really well," Pederson said of Savage moving to safety for at least a week.
"He did some great things, great communication. So yeah, that was definitely a positive. Antonio [S Antonio Johnson] played more of the dime position and Jarrian [CB Jarrian Jones] the nickel. So, it was a good change up for us yesterday. As far as moving forward, I could foresee that being the case," he added, mentioning that safety Andrew Wingard's return could impact things, too.
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Savage said he felt comfortable at safety against the Patriots and that the flux within the team's secondary and recent health has allowed them to get back to normal.
"Working everybody back in there and just getting on the same page as far as communication and just playing together again. We haven't really all been out there at the same time since camp, so just getting back into the swing of things, just sharpening up our communication and that kind of thing," Savage said Tuesday when asked about the changes in the secondary.
Still, Savage thinks the team's secondary is unique and versatile to overcome injuries.
"I think the unique thing about our room is that we can all play a lot of different positions and when you get a guy like Tyson [Campbell] back, I mean, he can go step to step with whoever. So that also makes it a lot easier," he added.
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Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Darnell Savage downplays emotions vs. ex-team
