JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars’ secondary did a complete 180 in 2025, going from one of the worst units to one of the most vicious. At the front of that revolution was none other than longtime Jaguars’ CB Montaric Brown.
Brown came alive in 2025, posting the NFL’s best NFL Rating in zone coverage (45.8) among cornerbacks. He led the Jaguars in PBUs and solved the Jaguars longtime struggle at outside corner. Many thought it might have been Greg Newsome II, acquired in a midseason trade, but Brown stepped up in a big way for the Jaguars’ defense.
Now Brown enters Free Agency coming off of a red hot 2025. If the Jaguars are unable to re-sign him, let’s look at three players the Jaguars could sign as his replacements.
Chidobe Awuzie
Chidobe Awuzie has put together quite the career for himself, tallying seven career interceptions and 53 career PBUs through his nine years in the league. His career NFL Rating of 91.3 is more than solid as is his 59.8% catch rate allowed.
He seemed to turn a corner in 2021, elevating his game even further. Since 2021, he’s allowed a catch rate of just 56.1%. Four of those five seasons, Awuzie has allowed an NFL Rating lowerthan 85.0 as well. He’s proved he’s a capable starter in this league.
Eric Stokes
Eric Stokes is someone with ties to current Jaguars’ defensive coordinator and former Packers’ linebackers coach Anthony Campanile. Stokes, now entering his sixth year in the league, is coming off of the best season of his young career where he allowed a completion rate of just 56.0% and an NFL Rating of 77.2 for the Raiders.
Stokes was particularly effective in zone coverage, allowing a 48.5% completion rate and 61.0
NFL Rating. To provide some context as to just how good those figures are, they rank 7th and 16th among the NFL’s top-124 cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Joshua Williams
Joshua Williams only played 17 snaps in 2025, but has shown potential during his time in Kansas City. Just 26 years old, Williams has impressed in limited time, allowing a career completion rate of just 58.0% and an NFL Rating of 83.7 since 2023.
In zone coverage, which the Jaguars predominantly run, Williams allowed an NFL Rating of 80.6 in 2024. He might be the biggest unknown on this list, but has potential to develop into a quality depth and special teams piece at the very least.
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