JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars are still without a definitive solution at nickel cornerback. Despite spending millions of dollars on veteran defensive back D.J. Hayden to replace Aaron Colvin, the team has yet to truly designate anyone as the starting nickel cornerback.
Hayden is the current leader in the clubhouse after signing a three-year, $19 million contract in March. However, he has faced quality competition throughout the summer and the Jaguars coaching staff's belief in position battles has deterred them from anointing Hayden the main man in the middle.
Speaking to the media on Monday, defensive coordinator Todd Wash declined to add any finality to the nickel cornerback competition.
“I [think] D.J. has had a great [camp] once we got the pads on," Wash said. "I think he has been playing extremely well. We also have Tyler Patmon in there. We have Tre Herndon. I think we have some real good quality depth at the nickel spot."
Replacing Colvin was never going to be easy. As the nickel cornerback in the Jaguars' defense, that player is targeted frequently due to the outside coverage of Pro Bowl cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. Colvin's impact was felt with his blitzing and tackling abilities, as he only allowed seven yards per catch last season. In 2015, Colvin led all defensive backs with four sacks.
Wash wants to see the blitzing and tackling voids filled by Colvin's eventual replacement. While he has been happy with all three of the potential nickel cornerbacks' performances so far, he believes the preseason will go a long way in determining who will grab hold of the position.
"These preseason games are going to be big," Wash said. "Once again, we have to find out how well people are going to tackle. We haven’t done it yet, but up until this point, D.J. has been a good man-to-man player. He is really starting to excel in the zone coverages that we play and the instincts that it takes to be a nickel. We have to find out who can blitz. We are going to try to bring our nickel in that kind of stuff at times and can he win one-on-one battles. Those are all things we are going to find out in the games here in the next month.”
Hayden has emerged as of late, putting together a string of strong practices during the toughest stretch of training camp. On Friday, Hayden put on a show, breaking up several passes and producing a would-be sack on a blitz during 11-on-11 drills.
The former first-round pick's competition has been equally successful during camp. Patmon has been a pass breakup machine dating back to the offseason program. Herndon, an undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt, has been a frequent playmaker among the secondary during the team's first 10 practices.
In the end, as Wash mentioned, the deciding factor will come down to how the trio performs during the preseason. With the exhibition home opener against the New Orleans Saints set for Thursday, the Jaguars coaching staff will be keeping a close eye on Hayden, Patmon and Herndon. While Hayden may start the exhibition games, he will have his work cut out for him with Patmon and Herndon also receiving opportunities throughout the preseason slate.
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter: @Mike_E_Kaye.