Barry Church, Jaguars Agree to Reported 4-Year Contract

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced on March 10 that they signed veteran defensive back Barry Church to a deal.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network first reported the signing on March 8. On Monday, ESPN.com's Adam Caplan passed along details of Church's contract:

Church developed into a perennially underrated member of the Dallas Cowboys secondary after the team signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He's a prototypical strong safety who's at his most effective when dropping into the box to help against the run.

The 29-year-old Toledo product is coming off a season where he racked up 85 combined tackles, four passes defended, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 12 games. He missed a month of action while recovering from a broken forearm.

In all, the Pennsylvania native has accumulated 488 total tackles, eight forced fumbles and five interceptions across 90 career games. He's been a stalwart piece of the Dallas defense for the last four years, starting all 59 contests he played during that stretch.

His steady play in the defensive backfield is one of the reasons the Cowboys went 13-3 during the 2016 regular season to earn the NFC's top seed. Chris Wilner of KTXS passed along the safety's comments on the disappointment after the team's quick playoff exit at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.

"That stuff, that hurt, man, that hurt," Church said. "This is the best team I've been around and been on, and for it to end like that, it's heartbreaking."

Those feelings were likely exasperated by the fact his previous contract ended with the loss, which left his future in Dallas up in the air heading into the offseason.

Ultimately, Church and the Cowboys ended up going their separate ways. While the team could try to fill the void with a cheaper option, it won't be easy because he never got enough credit for his role within the defense.

He should take over as the Jags' starting strong safety to replace Johnathan Cyprien, a fellow free agent. It's an upgrade that will help the defense improve against the run after giving up 106.4 yards per game on the ground last season, ranking 19th in the NFL.

Helping shut down opposing aerial attacks is an area where Church could still improve. But Jacksonville will get plenty of value if he simply maintains his prior production.