Barry Church to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars
By John Buhler
Veteran safety Barry Church will reportedly be leaving the Cowboys to sign with the Jaguars in unrestricted free agency.
After seven solid years playing in the NFC East for the Cowboys, veteran safety Barry Church will reportedly be signing with the Jaguars in free agency this spring.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “Barring a change of heart, Cowboys safety Barry Church is expected to land with the Jaguars on a four-year deal worth more than $6 million.”
Jacksonville was expected to be a big player in free agency. The Jaguars had roughly $73,958,963 to work with against the salary cap this offseason. While they could have brought back safety Jonathan Cyprien, it looks like Church will be taking over for him in the middle of the gridiron in North Florida.
While the wins haven’t come, Jacksonville has put together an impressive collection of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Though head coach Doug Marrone is an offensive-minded coach, there is a sense of optimism he and new front office executive Tom Coughlin can help turn around this long-struggling team.
Church played on some great and some not so great Cowboys teams over the years. His experience in Dallas will huge for a Jaguars franchise that hasn’t won in a decade. He could be the right on-field mentor for Jacksonville’s other safety Jalen Ramsey.
must read: 30 Best NFL Defenders of All-Time
Having Church and Ramsey in the back-end of the defense should help the Jaguars on that side of the ball. They’ll need to get better on the offensive line and get better play out of quarterback Blake Bortles more than anything. Adding Church in free agency seems like a good starting move for the Jaguars’ offseason plans.