Caleb Ransaw is 23 years old, but his mindset to rehabilitating a broken foot that cost him his entire Jacksonville Jaguars rookie season makes him seem much older.
“It was hard,” he said of the mornings and afternoons he spent in the weight room instead of on the practice field. “But at the same time, you have to deal with it. You can’t dwell on it.”
Difficult? Yes, but you deal with it. You stack good days. You stay positive. You study the scheme.
Ransaw’s return-to-play road won’t officially be complete until the Sept. 13 opener against the Cleveland Browns, but last week represented a significant milestone. He wore a helmet and participated in practice for the first time since last July.
A third-round safety from Tulane, Ransaw may end up competing against Antonio Johnson to start alongside Eric Murray and is definitely viewed as a future building block in the secondary. Both of which is why coach Liam Coen is calling the current offseason program “huge” for Ransaw.
Huge because the Jaguars believe a healthy Ransaw can be counted on to play a role this year and huge because that can only happen by receiving a ton of snaps this spring/summer.
“Having a ‘redshirt,’ (last year), he was in his playbook and he was watching tape, but it’s so hard to take a step (in development) and really feel comfortable without doing it (on the field),” Coen said. “This time is huge for Caleb to actually go through those motions, to make those calls, to see the defense work from his vantage point and how things work together.”
Checked several boxes for Jaguars
Never seeing Ransaw practice in pads, much less play in a game, sent me back to Tulane’s 2024 season. The Green Wave played two games against Power 4 competition (losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma) and Ransaw had five tackles in a 34-27 loss to then-No. 17 K-State. It was time to watch that game.
Hooboy, if you ever want to develop a deeper appreciation for NFL coaches, scouts and personnel folks, watch Ransaw against the Wildcats. It was darn-near impossible to get much of an evaluation … and it wasn’t his fault. K-State majored in quarterback keepers, running back carries and bubble screens. A multi-layered passing circus, it was not. Ransaw wasn’t challenged.
I charted Ransaw for playing all 56 defensive snaps (including one kneel-down) and assigned him a factor grade on five plays, snaps in which he made the tackle or was involved in the play. He was credited with a tackle for lost yardage for escorting the quarterback out of bounds.
Either K-State liked working toward the short side of the field or it wanted nothing to do with Ransaw, who normally lined up on the wide side and specifically against the slot receiver. Still, the game, which K-State won 34-27, provided some clues as to why the Jaguars liked him.
The Green Wave played five defensive backs regardless of K-State’s personnel so that meant in multi-tight end situations, Ransaw would often line up on the ball next to the defensive end and was willing to take on bigger blockers and stick his nose into the run-game fray. He also looked comfortable in man and zone coverage and shows good awareness.
Before the draft, an NFL scout told my long-time colleague Bob McGinn: “He’s a sensational nickel. He’s got the size of an outside corner and a safety. He can play all positions but his specialty is nickel. I think he’ll go as high as the second round and no later than the third.”
The Jaguars thought the same thing and drafted Ransaw in the third round.
Asked earlier this offseason what stood out about Ransaw, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said: “Quite a few things. He had the versatility to switch between nickel and safety the way in which we feel like defenses are evolving and that skillet was something we were really fond of.”
Gladstone said the Jaguars were impressed with Ransaw’s tackling ability, something that showed up on a highlight tape.
“He didn’t miss many tackles when he was given those opportunities or when he was putting himself in position to do that,” Gladstone said.
The Jaguars’ interest continued when Ransaw was used as a safety at the Senior Bowl.
“Just another box on the line of items we could check when we were looking to address that position last year,” Gladstone said.
What are the realistic expectations for Ransaw?
Plan A (Ransaw playing as a rookie) became Plan IR (injured reserve). For the first half of the regular season, Ransaw used a scooter to get around the locker room before he could walk with a boot on.
The key for Ransaw chiseling out a regular role within the defense is eliminating the acclimation period afforded some rookie safeties.
Over the last 10 seasons (2016-25), 14 safeties have been named first-team All Pro at least once. Among that group, eight were immediate starters, but four were part-time starters in their rookie seasons. For example, Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton started four of 16 games and played 53% of the snaps and San Francisco’s Talanoa Hufanga (now with Denver) started three of 15 games and played 41% of the snaps.
Can the Jaguars get Ransaw ramped up in time to start alongside Murray against Cleveland? That is obviously the objective, but they can also afford to be semi-conservative because Johnson proved to be very capable last year, tying with linebacker Devin Lloyd with a team-high five interceptions.
One wrinkle that should be considered is how Tulane lined up Ransaw against Kansas State. Put him near the line of scrimmage or in coverage as the dime (sixth defender). Roll out Buster Brown, Travis Hunter and Jourdan Lewis at corner and Murray, Johnson and Ransaw at safety. The Jaguars could cloud the picture for opposing quarterbacks with how they line up.
But first things first — getting Ransaw ready to play and that means getting him through training camp. Remember, if he plays in the first preseason game at New Orleans on Aug. 15, it will be his first tackling opportunity since the Senior Bowl on Feb. 1, 2025.
The realistic expectations? If he earns it, get Ransaw first-team snaps in training camp and see how he can be utilized in sub-package situations. The positive for the Jaguars and Ransaw is the conversation has pivoted to what he can do as a player, not how his rehabilitation is coming along.
“Rehab was a long time,” he said. “I had never been out for that long, but I’m back to 100%.”
Contact O’Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com or on X at @ryanohalloran. Listen to Ryan on 1010AM on Tuesdays (6:35 p.m. on “Into The Night”), Thursdays (1:15 on “XL Primetime”) and Fridays (4-6 p.m. on “The Lead”).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Offseason program ‘huge’ for Jaguars’ Caleb Ransaw after 2025 injury
Reporting by Ryan O’Halloran, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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