JACKSONVILLE– The Jaguars' secondary got a little deeper Monday.
It got a little more experienced, too, with the Jaguars signing a pair of veteran cornerbacks a day before the beginning of the final phase of the offseason program.
Tyler Patmon and Brian Dixon, two young cornerbacks with NFL experience, on Monday signed with the Jaguars a day before the team's first organized team activity of the 2017 offseason. OTAs mark the beginning of Phase 3 of the NFL offseason.
"It's a great time to get in, learn the system, get with the guys and meet the players on the team and try to build a relationship," Dixon said.
The Jaguars also waived/injured wide receiver Bryan Walters Monday. The roster now stands at the offseason maximum of 90 players.
Dixon (6-feet-0, 195 pounds), who originally signed with the New Orleans Saints as a rookie free agent following the 2014 NFL Draft, has appeared in 37 NFL career games with 42 tackles and one pass defense. He spent three seasons with New Orleans, appearing in all 16 games in both 2014 and 2015.
He finished the 2016 season with the Cardinals after being signed off the Saints' practice squad on December 28.
"Jacksonville is a great program," said Dixon, who played at Coconut Creek High School. "It's always been one of my favorite teams. I'm just happy to be here."
Patmon (5-feet-10, 188 pounds), a third-year veteran, originally signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie free agent following the 2014 NFL Draft.
"Every opportunity you get is big," Patmon said. "For the Jags to bring me in, sign me and give me that chance is a great opportunity."
He has appeared in 24 NFL games with two starts, 21 tackles, seven passes defensed and an interception He spent time on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs (Weeks 7-8, 10) and Carolina Panthers (Weeks 12-17) last season, before which he spent training camp with the Tennessee Titans after being claimed off waivers from the Miami Dolphins.
"I feel I can do it all," Patmon said. "The first thing I'm going to do is work hard, work my butt off for the coaches and do what they want me to do. I can play special teams, I can play corner, I can play nickel – wherever they see me fit is what I'm going to do."
Patmon played 13 games in 2015, playing in 11 games for the Dallas Cowboys and two for Miami. He appeared in 11 games as a rookie for Dallas and returned an interception off Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer for a touchdown in November of that season. He played collegiately at Oklahoma State and Kansas, playing for OSU as a graduate transfer in 2013.
Walters, a six-year NFL veteran, played in 21 games for the Jaguars over the past two seasons. He started four games and caught 56 passes for 589 yards and three touchdowns.
