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Darnell Savage

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Darnell Savage
refer to caption
Savage at Maryland's 2019 Pro Day
No. 6 – Jacksonville Jaguars
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1997-07-30) July 30, 1997 (age 27)
Seaford, Delaware, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:Caravel Academy (Bear, Delaware)
College:Maryland (2015–2018)
NFL draft:2019 / round: 1 / pick: 21
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2024
Total tackles:338
Sacks:1.0
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:2
Pass deflections:36
Interceptions:10
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Darnell Henry Savage Jr. (born July 30, 1997) is an American professional football safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Early life

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Savage attended Caravel Academy in Bear, Delaware. He suffered a broken femur during the first game of his junior season.[1] Savage committed to the University of Maryland to play college football.[2]

College career

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Savage played at Maryland from 2015 to 2018.[3][4] During his career, he had 182 tackles, eight interceptions, one sack and two touchdowns.[5][6]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Savage participated in the Senior Bowl prior to the draft. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the second best amongst his position (behind Nasir Adderley) and NFL analyst Bucky Brooks had Savage ranked as the third best safety in the draft.[7][8] ESPN analyst Jeff Legwold ranked Savage as the fifth best safety (48th overall) and Sports Illustrated ranked him the sixth best (50th overall) amongst safeties.[9][10] Former NFL executive Gil Brandt had Savage ranked seventh (87th overall) amongst all prospects at his position. NFL draft analysts projected him to be a late first to second round pick.[11] His 4.36 in the 40-yard dash impressed NFL scouts at the NFL Combine.

"Savage will offer an interesting litmus test for how teams value instincts, IQ and coverage quickness against size. He sports a compact frame with a muscular build and was actually bigger at the combine than some scouts expected. His sticky cover skills and ability to close on throws from all areas of the field are valuable commodities that should not be undervalued. Savage should be targeted as a Day 2 hybrid defender offering early starting potential as a two-high zone or slot cover talent."[12]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+3⁄4 in
(1.80 m) 		198 lb
(90 kg) 		31 in
(0.79 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.36 s 1.56 s 2.58 s 4.14 s 7.03 s 39.5 in
(1.00 m)		 10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		 11 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13][14]

Green Bay Packers

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External videos
video icon Packers select Savage No. 21 in 2019
video icon NFL Draft Profile: Darnell Savage Jr.

The Green Bay Packers selected Savage in the first round (21st overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. Fearful Savage would not be available at 30th overall, the Green Bay Packers orchestrated a trade and acquired the first round (21st overall) pick from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a first round pick (30th overall) and two fourth round picks (114th and 118th overall).[15][16] He was the first safety and defensive back drafted in 2019. He was drafted as the heir apparent to replace Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Jermaine Whitehead at free safety. The Seattle Seahawks would go on to trade all three of the picks acquired.

"He's obviously a premiere athlete. He's been an impact player for Maryland for a number of years. He's able to close the gap, from centerfield and the hash. He's aggressive, physical player who can take the ball away. He fits what we're trying to do on the back end"[17]

2019 season

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See also: 2019 Green Bay Packers season

On May 2, 2019, the Green Bay Packers signed Savage to a four–year, $12.51 million contract that was fully guaranteed and included an initial signing bonus of $7.12 million.[18][19]

He entered training camp as the de facto starting free safety under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. Head coach Matt LaFleur named Savage and Adrian Amos the starting safety tandem to begin the regular season.[20]

Savage in 2019

On September 5, 2019, Savage made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Green Bay Packers' season-opener, recording three solo tackles and a pass deflection in a 10–3 victory at the Chicago Bears.[21] The following week, he collected a season-high six solo tackles and broke up a pass during a 21–16 win in the Packers' home-opener against the Minnesota Vikings. On September 22, 2019, Savage broke up a pass and made his first career interception on a pass attempt thrown by Joe Flacco to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders during a 27–16 win against the Denver Broncos.[22] In Week 5, Savage made one tackle before he had to exit in the third quarter of a 34–24 win at the Dallas Cowboys due to an injury. He was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and subsequently missed the next two games (Weeks 6–7).[23] He returned in Week 8 and collected a season-high eight combined tackles (seven solo) in a 31–24 victory at the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished his rookie campaign in 2019 with a total of 50 combined tackles (38 solo), five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions in 14 games and 14 starts.[24] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[25]

In their first season under head coach Mike LaFleur, the Green Bay Packers finished first in the NFC North with a 13–3 record, clinching a first round bye. On January 12, 2020, Savage started in his first career postseason game and made five solo tackles as the Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28–23 in the Divisional Round. The following week, he collected eight combined tackles (five solo) during a 20–37 loss at the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

2020 season

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See also: 2020 Green Bay Packers season

Head coach Matt LaFleur retained Savage and Adrian Amos as the starting safety tandem to start the season.[26] He was inactive for a Week 7 victory at the Houston Texans due to a quadriceps injury.[27] On November 29, 2020, Savage made one tackle, two pass deflections, and had a season-high two interceptions off passes thrown by Mitchell Trubisky during the 41–25 win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.[28] On December 27, 2020, Savage recorded five combined tackles (three solo), a season-high three pass deflections, and set a career-high with his fourth interception of the season off a pass by Ryan Tannehill intended for A. J. Brown during a 40–14 victory against the Tennessee Titans. The following week, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) in the Packers' 35–16 victory at the Chicago Bears. He finished the 2020 NFL season with a total of 75 combined tackles (56 solo), 12 pass deflections, four interceptions, one fumble recovery, and one sack in 15 games and 15 starts.[29]

2021 season

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See also: 2021 Green Bay Packers season

The Green Bay Packers hired former Los Angeles Rams linebacker coach Joe Barry as they new defensive coordinator. He retained Savage and Adrian Amos as the starting safeties.[30] On December 25, 2021, Savage collected a season-high eight combined tackles (six solo), broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by Baker Mayfield to Donovan Peoples-Jones during a 22–25 victory against the Cleveland Browns. He started all 17 games in 2021 and recorded 63 combined tackles (48 solo), nine pass deflections, and two interceptions.[31]

2022 season

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See also: 2022 Green Bay Packers season

On April 29, 2022, the Green Bay Packers picked up the fifth-year option on Savage's rookie contract.[32] Head coach Matt LaFleur opted to retain Savage and Adrian Amos as the starting safeties to begin the regular season.[33]

On November 27, 2022, head coach Matt LaFleur benched Savage for the start of a 33–40 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles after a poor performance the prior week against the Tennessee Titans. Immediately after entering the game, Savage injured his foot and exited in the first quarter and subsequently was inactive for a Week 13 victory at the Chicago Bears.[34] On January 1, 2023, Savage broke up a pass, had two combined tackles (one solo), and intercepted a pass thrown by Kirk Cousins to tight end T. J. Hockenson and returned it 75–yards for his first career touchdown as the Packers routed the Minnesota Vikings 41–17.[35] He finished the 2022 NFL season with a total of 58 combined tackles (43 solo), five pass deflections, one touchdown, one fumble recovery, and one interception in 16 games and 15 starts.[36]

2023 season

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See also: 2023 Green Bay Packers season

Defensive coordinator Joe Barry retained Savage as the starting free safety and paired him with Rudy Ford following the departure of Adrian Amos. On September 10, 2023, he started in the Green Bay Packers' season-opener at the Chicago Bears and collected a season-high nine combined tackles (five solo) during their 38–20 victory. On October 25, 2023, the Green Bay Packers placed Savage on injured reserve with a calf injury.[37] On December 2, 2023, the Packers activated Savage off of injured reserve after he missed five games (Weeks 8–12).[38] A shoulder injury sidelined Savage for two consecutive games (Weeks 15–16). He finished the season with 51 combined tackles (36 solo) and one pass deflection in ten games and ten starts.[39] He earned an overall grade of 75.5 from Pro Football Focus which ranked 15th among all safeties that season.[40]

External videos
video icon Darnell Savage 64-yard INT return

The Green Bay Packers finished the 2023 NFL season second in the NFC North with an 9–8, qualifying for a Wildcard position. On January 14, 2024, Savage started in the NFC Wildcard Game and made four combined tackles (three solo), broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass thrown by Dak Prescott to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and returned it 64–yards for a touchdown as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 48–32. On January 20, 2024, Savage started his in his last game as a member of the Green Bay Packers and recorded four combined tackles (two solo) and had one pass deflection during a 21–24 loss at the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.

Jacksonville Jaguars

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On March 11, 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Savage to a three–year, $21.75 million contract that includes $12.50 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5.00 million.[41]

2024 season

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See also: 2024 Jacksonville Jaguars season

He entered training camp slated as the de facto starting free safety under defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Head coach Doug Pederson named Savage and Andre Cisco the starting safety tandem to begin the season.[42]

He injured his quadriceps and was subsequently inactive for three consecutive games (Weeks 2–5). On November 10, 2024, Savage made four combined tackles (three solo), one pass break up, and made his first interception with the Jaguars on a pass attempt by Sam Darnold to wide receiver Justin Jefferson during a 7–12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 14, Savage made one solo tackle before suffering a concussion and exiting the 14–19 loss at the Las Vegas Raiders and was inactive for the following week during 20–13 win against the Tennessee Titans in Week 17. He finished with 51 combined tackles (40 solo), six pass deflections, and an interception in 13 games and 13 starts.[43]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Total Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR
2019 GB 14 14 55 42 13 0.0 5 2 37 18.5 28 0 2 0
2020 GB 15 15 75 56 19 1.0 12 4 13 3.3 9 0 0 1
2021 GB 17 17 63 48 15 0.0 9 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2022 GB 16 13 58 43 15 0.0 5 1 75 75 75 1 0 1
2023 GB 10 10 51 36 15 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career 72 69 302 225 77 1.0 32 9 125 13.9 75 1 2 2
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Total Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR
2019 GB 2 2 13 10 3 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2020 GB 2 2 4 3 1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2021 GB 1 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2023 GB 2 2 8 5 3 0.0 2 1 64 64.0 64 1 0 0
Career 7 7 25 18 7 0.0 2 1 64 64.0 64 1 0 0
Source: pro-football-reference.com

References

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  1. ^ Zenitz, Matt. "Post-injury dealings contributed to cornerback Darnell Savage committing to Terps". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  2. ^ Stubbs, Roman (June 24, 2014). "Delaware DB Darnell Savage commits to Maryland". Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Gallen, Daniel. "Terps CB Darnell Savage Jr. getting his shot in freshman season". carrollcountytimes.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  4. ^ Bowen, Les. "Maryland safety Darnell Savage might catch Eagles' eye; showed leadership at tough time". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Gallen, Daniel (March 27, 2019). "NFL Draft 2019: Maryland's Darnell Savage hopes to follow in footsteps of former Terps to NFL". pennlive.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  6. ^ Kaye, Mike (March 28, 2019). "NFL Draft 2019: Eagles, Jets among teams interested in Maryland's Darnell Savage following pro day". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "PFF's top-15 safeties in the 2019 NFL Draft". PFF.com. April 16, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  8. ^ Bucky Brooks (April 10, 2019). "Bucky Brooks' top 5 2019 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0". NFL.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  9. ^ "2019 NFL Draft Position Rankings: Defensive Backs". si.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  10. ^ Jeff Legwold. "2019 NFL draft - Jeff Legwold's ranking of top 100 prospects, picks". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  11. ^ Gil Brandt (April 17, 2019). "Hot 150: Gil Brandt's top prospects for 2019 NFL Draft (51-100)". NFL.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  12. ^ Paul Kasabian (May 2, 2019). "Report: Packers' Darnell Savage 1st 2019 NFL Draft 1st-Rounder to Sign Contract". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  13. ^ "Darnell Savage Combine Profile". National Football League. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  14. ^ "2019 Draft Scout Darnell Savage, Maryland NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  15. ^ Markus, Don. "Maryland safety Darnell Savage Jr. picked No. 21 overall by Packers in NFL draft". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  16. ^ "Quick pick: Packers trade up, take S Darnell Savage at No. 21". Packers.com. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  17. ^ Wes Hodkiewicz (April 25, 2019). "Pick profile: Packers land 'absolute difference-maker' in Darnell Savage". Packers.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  18. ^ "Packers sign six draft choices". packers.com. May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  19. ^ "Darnell Savage".
  20. ^ Dan Schneier (September 3, 2019). "Packers Depth Chart 2019: Green Bay's Week 1 roster vs. Bears after rookie third-round pick is placed on IR". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  21. ^ "Packers D, Aaron Rodgers beat Bears 10–3 in opener". ESPN. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  22. ^ "Packers remain unbeaten with 27–16 win over Broncos". ESPN. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  23. ^ Zach Kruse (October 7, 2019). "Report: Packers S Darnell Savage tweaks ankle, avoids major injury". packerswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  24. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Darnell Savage stats (2019)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  25. ^ "2019 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  26. ^ Evan Western (September 8, 2020). "Breaking down the Packers' first depth chart of 2020". AcmePackingCompany.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  27. ^ Jim Owzsarski (November 30, 2020). "Confidence, patience propel Packers safety Darnell Savage to big night against Bears". PackersNews.com. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  28. ^ "Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – November 29th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  29. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Darnell Savage stats (2020)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  30. ^ Wes Hodkiewicz (August 31, 2021). "Packers keep two QBs, six WRs: Here's the initial 2021 roster". Packers.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  31. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Darnell Savage stats (2021)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  32. ^ "Fifth-year option tracker for first-round picks from the 2019 NFL Draft". NFL.com. April 25, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  33. ^ Tom Silverstein (August 30, 2022). "Here is the Green Bay Packers projected depth chart for their Week 1 53-man roster for 2022 season". PackersNow.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  34. ^ Zach Kruse (November 27, 2022). packerswire.usatoday.com https://packerswire.usatoday.com/2022/11/27/packers-bench-safety-darnell-savage-to-open-week-12-vs-eagles/. Retrieved January 29, 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  35. ^ "Can't-Miss Play: Darnell Savage delivers 75-YARD pick-six TD vs. Cousins on fourth down". National Football League. January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  36. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Darnell Savage stats (2022)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  37. ^ "Packers place S Darnell Savage, CB Eric Stokes on injured reserve". Packers.com. October 25, 2023.
  38. ^ "Packers activate S Darnell Savage off injured reserve". Packers.com. December 2, 2023.
  39. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Darnell Savage stats (2023)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  40. ^ John Shipley (June 4, 2023). "PFF Ranks Jaguars' Safety Duo of Andre Cisco and Darnell Savage in Top-32". si.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  41. ^ Oehser, John (March 13, 2024). "Official: Safety Darnell Savage Agreed to Terms with Jaguars". Jaguars.com.
  42. ^ John Oehser (September 3, 2024). "Jacksonville Jaguars' 2024 Depth Chart Released". jaguars.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  43. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Darnell Savage stats (2024)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
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