JAGUARS ROOKIE SAFETY ZEDRICK WOODS RETIRES, CREATES MORE CONCERN WITH SAFETY DEPTH

Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire

Over before it began . . .
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BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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Rookie safety Zedrick Woods' pro career appears to have ended as quickly as it began. Woods, the former Ole Miss defensive back who ran a blazing 4.29 40 yard dash at the combine, filed his retirement papers with the league on Monday, per Phillip Heilman of The Florida Times-Union. 

According to Woods' agent, Ron Butler, the young safety was dealing with a turf toe injury that was holding him back from playing at a high level. "It was kind of shocking to me just because I knew how much he was grateful for the opportunity to get a chance to play in Jacksonville and not being too far from home," Butler told Heilman. "I think they expected a lot from him this year."

The news certainly comes as a disappointment to the Jaguars. Woods' elite speed combined with his size and penchant for making tackles was intriguing, to say the least.  Losing Woods makes safety depth an even more significant concern than it already was. 

Ronnie Harrison and Jarrod Wilson are both entering their first year as starting safeties. The two primary backups don't inspire a ton of confidence either. Cody Davis is a special teams wiz, but he hasn't shown the ability to hold down a starting job throughout his career. And CJ Reavis, a 2018 undrafted free agent, enters his second year in the league with just four games under his belt, though the coaching staff is high on his potential.

Beyond Harrison, Wilson, Davis, and Reavis, the Jaguars have just two undrafted rookies in Andrew Wingard and Joshua Moon. The team could always deploy Jalen Ramsey, who played safety in college at FSU, in the deep middle. 

It may be time for the Jaguars to look outside the building for depth at the safety position. There are a plethora of veterans on the market, including Darian Stewart, Reggie Nelson, Mike Adams, Marcus Gilchrist, and Corey Graham. 

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