JACKSONVILLE – Darnell Savage's role matters to him. What you call that role?

Not so much.

"However you all want to split it," he said Tuesday.

Maybe Savage is a safety. Maybe he's a corner. He doesn't care. What matters to him is he's absolutely a defensive back for the Jaguars and he's fully healthy, having been cleared on Monday from wearing the red, non-contact jersey he wore throughout early 2024 Training Camp.

"I just want to be one of the guys," Savage said as the Jaguars prepared to play the Atlanta Falcons in a Preseason Week 3 game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Friday. "They were joking with me and giving me a lot of stuff for wearing the red, but I'm out of it now, so it's all good.

"I feel good. I've been feeling that way. It's protocols, so I've just got to be smart, be patient, but feeling good. Ready to go."

Jaguars first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, speaking to the media before Tuesday's practice, called Savage "a really good cover player."

"He can make up ground, the distance if he gets a step behind," Nielsen said. "He feels the game, the route, how it's bending. Just his feel of the game has been really good. Then [Monday], he's out there, no red jersey. You see him use his hands already which is pretty cool, taking on a block and things like that."

Savage, who participated in essentially all training camp practices, said Tuesday he feels 100 percent prepared despite wearing the "non-contact" jersey while returning from offseason shoulder surgery.

"I was out there practicing every day," he said. "It was just more so my teammates taking care of me, I'm taking care of them. Just being on the same page with that. Other than that, the biggest thing for me is just conditioning. Just being ready to run and cover. So, I was able to accomplish that even though I was in the red."

Savage, who signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent from the Green Bay Packers in March, called Nielsen's attacking, aggressive system "a perfect fit for me."

"It's rare that you have a defense that's dynamic because normally you think of offenses are dynamic," he said. "I feel like this defense is dynamic. It lets the playmakers go make plays."

As for just where Savage will play in that defense, that remains a bit uncertain – though Nielsen on Tuesday said the Jaguars are "excited playing him at a couple different positions."

"We'll see how that pans out when we get past this game going forward," Nielsen said.

Savage said he doesn't necessarily believe he needs a "specific role."

"I just want to be around the ball," he said. "I feel l like I could really make the game difficult for offenses with me just moving around, and I'm pretty smart, too. I can wear a lot of different hats, so just me just moving around and just staying in it and just being all over the place, it's fun. It keeps me engaged, so it's cool."

NOTABLE MOMENTS FROM JAGUARS TRAINING CAMP, DAY 19

• Nielsen on Tuesday lauded third-year veteran Travon Walker, saying the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft has improved steadily in his first preseason in Nielsen's defense. Walker, who registered 10 sacks in 2022, moved from outside linebacker in the Jaguars' previous 3-4 scheme to defensive end in Nielsen's four-lineman-based defense. Nielsen said Walker "can do it all," adding: "He's a good run player. Travon's a good pass rusher. He can rush with speed, finesse. He's a good power rusher. In the run game, he can play head up or he can play on the edge. There are a lot of things he does really well. It's coming. He had a really good practice [Monday]. Just look for that to continue on Friday."
• Nielsen on Tuesday also discussed the team's interior defensive line depth and the decisions that could come next Tuesday when teams must reduce rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players. "I'm glad we have another game," Nielsen said. "That's going to be a really big part of the evaluation this week. You want to see three games, not just one game, but the body of work in camp, that means a lot. It's not just going to one game, but the whole body of work. It's going to be a tough, tough decision. I'm excited about all the guys at that position, really. We've rolled three, four guys in the middle. It has been pretty good."