The Jacksonville Jaguars are importing aid to their secondary.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports that, barring a change of heart, safety Barry Church is expected to land with the Jags on a four-year contract worth more than $6 million per season. Church ranked 29th on Around The NFL's Top 101 list.
The Dallas safety played exceedingly well in 2016 for a Cowboys defense that performed better than the sum of its parts last season, thanks in large part to Church's stellar efficiency. When Church missed four games in the middle of the season last year, his absence was noticeable.
Losing Church will hurt the Cowboys, but the cost exceeded what a cap-strapped Dallas squad could match. In a thin safety market, the Jags had the money to spend on bringing in a stabilizing veteran presence in the secondary.
An undrafted free agent in 2010, Church spent his entire career in Dallas, becoming a full-time starter in 2013. Since that season he compiled five interceptions, 434 tackles, and 16 passes defended.
In Jacksonville, the 29-year-old will replace Johnathan Cyprien alongside Tashaun Gipson at safety. With plenty of cap space and several other holes in the secondary, Church is likely not the last addition for Dave Caldwell in the coming days.
