Darnell

Savage

He’ll take Will Harris’ place in the rotation. Savage had an underwhelming couple of years in Jacksonville but should be a potential starter for the Commanders. The 28-year-old had one tackle in two games with the Jaguars before being released.

The Commanders’ meeting with Savage comes a day after the team lost safety Will Harris to a fractured fibula. While we don’t yet know the extent of Harris’ injury, the decision to meet with Savage this early suggests he will miss significant time. Savage was released by the Jaguars last week after appearing in the first two games to start the season in a backup role. He’s a seven-year vet with 82 games of starting experience under his belt and could immediately fill a key role if called upon.

Savage played a reduced role in Weeks 1 and 2 of this season, one where he was almost entirely a deep safety in 48 passing-downs snaps. Savage had a $4.6 million cap figure and was one of Trent Baalke’s latest busts, accumulating a 46.9 PFF grade in 764 snaps for the 2024 Jaguars. He’ll look to catch on elsewhere as a swing safety. Andrew Wingard appears to have the trust of the coaching staff at strong safety. 2025 sixth-rounder Rayuan Lane III and Antonio Johnson are the current depth options for Jacksonville at safety.

Savage suffered a concussion in the Jaguars’ Week 16 game against the Raiders and missed Week 17 as a result of his injury. With one game left in the season, the veteran safety is expected to suit up to close things out against the Colts, who are unlikely to have Anthony Richardson in Week 18. Savage has totaled 42 tackles, one interception and six pass breakups this season while earning a PFF defensive grade of 47.3.

No surprises for the Jaguars’ Week 17 inactives. Savage will miss this game due to a concussion. Meanwhile, Walker Little (ankle) is another significant inactive as he misses his first game of the season, leaving the left tackle position in lurch for the Jaguars in a battle of higher draft picks against the Titans.

Hines-Allen left Week 4 with a concussion and did not return. He missed Wednesday’s practice but got in a pair of limited sessions on Thursday and Friday. JHA still has to clear the league’s concussion protocol over the weekend, but the questionable tag at least gives him a shot at doing so. He has one sack and one TFL through four games this year. The Jags also listed safety Darnell Savage and linebacker Devin Lloyd as questionable.

The Jaguars lead the league in man coverage rate and are now without linebacker Foye Oluokun, cornerback Tyson Campbell, and now safety Darnell Savage for a game against the high-flying Texans. Jacksonville could be forced to keep pace in a shootout on the road in Houston in Week 4.

The Jaguars’ secondary took two notable hits this week, with Savage suffering a quad injury in practice and CB Tyson Campbell landing on injured reserve. The developments give the Browns’ flailing passing game a chance to keep pace, though little is guaranteed in that regard.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said that the “chances are probably not” that Savage would be able to suit up for this week’s game. The veteran practiced in full on Wednesday but then missed practice on Thursday, which raised concerns. With cornerback Tyson Campbell also out, the Jaguars will be down two starters when they take on the Browns this weekend which could give an extra boost to Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy if the Browns can get their offense on track.

Drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Savage played out his rookie deal and had his fifth-year option picked up by the Packers. Injuries limited Savage to 10 games in his final season in Green Bay. He totaled 51 tackles and one pass breakup. Though the injury put a damper on his last season as a Packer, it didn’t have an effect on his market in free agency. Savage will slot in as the Jags’ starting free safety for the 2024 season. He will look to improve a unit that ranked 26th in passing yards allowed in 2023.