JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Andrew Wingard isn’t the longest tenured Jaguars player, that would be punter Logan Cooke, but he’s darn close. Wingard has served a key role as a rotational piece in the secondary, as well as special teams ace.
Now, Wingard fights for a starting safety spot in Anthony Campanile’s new defensive system. He hasn’t been a full-time starter since the 2021 season, but he has seen his fair share of playing time since.
In an interview with Action Sports Jax’s Brent Martineau, Wingard spoke about playing time and who it is that will start.
>>> STREAM ACTION SPORTS JAX 24/7 LIVE <<<
“Absolutely, we all know it’s the NFL, but I think this staff, this front office, these coaches, I think the best players are going to play, and that’s how it should be, and whether I’m the best, or whether I’m not, who knows? I believe I am,” said Wingard Wingard continued, “So I’m just going to, that’s what I do every day, I just go out and play football. I do what I was born to do, so wherever the chips stack, whatever, but in my head, I’m going for it.”
Since 2022, WIngard has performed admirably as a reserve, rotational piece for the Jaguars. In fact, he’s allowed a completion rate of just 53.5%, zero touchdowns and two interceptions over that span, according to Pro Football Focus.
Over his last three seasons, Wingard has allowed an NFL Rating of just 35.86 against, statistically comparable to spiking the ball in the dirt. When looking at just last season, he led both the Jaguars and NFL as a whole in a few categories.
Among the 102 safeties who played at least 100 snaps in coverage, Wingard finished first in Completion rate (28.6%), second in NFL Rating allowed (39.6), and first in Forced Incompletion rate (43%). He also happened to lead Jaguars’ safeties in missed tackle rate (6.3%) as well.
Wingard later continued his praise for the coaches of the new regime.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“And so, they’re really trained in that, in meetings and everything, you do something wrong and get called out, are you going to put your ego up, and cry? Are you going to take the coaching and get better and be a pro?” said Wingard.
“So I think that’s where this team is evolving, because those coaches are doing a great job of making us, pushing us just enough, not too much, but a perfect amount. You got to look better,” he added.
Wingard will always have a place in the NFL, simply for his experience, consistency, and ability to play special teams, however, he’s looking for a bigger role in Jacksonville this season. He believes he’s good enough to start for Campanile’s defense.
So far, Wigard’s a big fan of Campanile, “I mean, he’s bringing up like stoic references from like Socrates and stuff in the meetings, and I’m like, ‘jeez, pull my finger. So it’s super cool, and I love his mentality, and I just love this coaching staff, but again, there’s going to be hype.”
Only time will tell, however, the tape and numbers Wingard has put together over the last few seasons warrant at least consideration from the Jaguars’ staff when it’s time to start cutting down the roster and fine tune the depth chart.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action Sports Jax 24/7 live.
