JACKSONVILLE – The secondary got deeper Tuesday.
The Jaguars, continuing their 2020 offseason theme, have acquired a veteran defensive back who will add extensive experience to the defense.
Rashaan Melvin, who has been with seven NFL teams in seven seasons, has agreed to terms to sign with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent. The Jaguars announced the move Tuesday afternoon in accordance with NFL rules.
"We're really excited to add Rashaan to our secondary as he'll compete at the outside cornerback position," Head Coach Doug Marrone said. "He's an experienced player and has produced at a high level in this league. He has good size and speed and does a great job of competing play-in and play-out and challenging the receiver at the catch. We're excited to add him to our roster."
Melvin (6-feet-2, 195 pounds), who played last season with the Detroit Lions, has 40 career NFL starts – with 38 of those starts coming in the last four seasons. He started 19 games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2016-2017, seven with the Oakland Raiders in 2018 and a career-high 12 for the Lions this past season.
Melvin, 30, who played collegiately at Northern Illinois, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a collegiate free agent shortly after the 2013 NFL Draft. He spent 2013-2014 with the Buccaneers, 2014 with the Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens and 2015 with the Ravens and the New England Patriots.
He has 41 career passes defensed with four interceptions, registering a career-high 14 passes defensed and three interceptions with the Colts in 2017.
The Jaguars last week agreed to terms with former Cleveland Browns middle linebacker Joe Schobert and former Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Rodney Gunter. They agreed to terms with former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Al Woods and former Cardinals edge defender Cassius March earlier Tuesday.
