Trent Baalke: Cornerback is ‘a group we need to address’

When Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson were asked Tuesday about the team’s offensive line, they gave very little indication that an overhaul is on the way. The same can’t be said about the secondary.

Baalke made it clear that cornerback is a spot that needs an influx of talent before the 2024 season begins.

“We’ve got to add to that group,” Baalke said during a press conference at the 2024 NFL Combine. “I think Coach [Ryan] Nielsen spoke on it, Coach Pederson’s probably spoke on it, and now I’m speaking on it. It’s a group that we need to address.

“We feel good about the group that we have, we feel like we have some good, young guys to work with, we’ve got some veterans in there, but we’re definitely going to look to add to that group.”

Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams were the team’s two starting outside cornerbacks in 2023, but the former struggled through injuries for much of the year and the latter is set to turn 31 in March. On Tuesday, Baalke said the “good question” is who is going to be the third cornerback for the team next season.

Long-tenured cornerback Tre Herndon has previously filled that role, but he’s due to become a free agent in March. The team also has several late-round draft picks (Montaric Brown, Greg Junior, Christian Braswell, and Erick Hallett) on the roster.

Later in his presser, Baalke raved about the group of cornerbacks that will be available in the 2024 NFL draft.

“The draft at the corner position, I think, is gonna be strong,” Baalke said. “There’s gonna be good players at the top end of the market and good players all the way through into the developmental range. Again, I think it’s gonna be a pretty good group of players at that specific position.”

Cornerback has been an increasingly popular position for the Jaguars in mock drafts and Baalke’s press conference Tuesday provided more evidence that it could be the team’s top priority in April.