Jacksonville Jaguars HC Doug Marrone thinks Ronnie Harrison can be ‘an excellent player in this league’

The Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten an absurd amount of production out of their young players on defense and it’s leading to wins, despite having a sixth round rookie quarterback and inconsistencies along the offensive line.

Josh Allen has a team high 5.0 sacks.

Jarrod Wilson is third on the team with 34 tackles and has stepped in well to the free safety spot.

Taven Bryan has seemingly turned a corner with multiple pressures that have led to turnovers.

And Ronnie Harrison leads the team in tackles and shows every indication he can be the long term answer at strong safety.

Speaking to the media yesterday, head coach Doug Marrone was quick to praise Harrison despite, saying he’s improving week to week:

“Ronnie’s [Harrison] still a young player,” Marrone said. “I look at Ronnie as he continues to get better each week. I think he has all the ability to make plays for us, which I think he’s starting to show us. He’s a physical player ... He’s good, he has the ability to take away the ball, he has the ability to defend, too, which is important in man coverage. So, I think Ronnie’s just going to get better and better. He’s an intense player on the field, he plays at a high level of emotion, which I like. He’s in-tune to what’s going on, he practices during the week, he’s available. I think he’s someone that just needs to keep continuing on the path he’s going and he can be, he is a good player for us now, but he has the ability, if he keeps working hard, to be an excellent player in this league.”

That’s a lot of superlatives for a second year player who is just this season stepping into the starter role and it’s well deserved — Harrison is legitimately a good player and he has the ability to be a superstar in this secondary.

Aside from second year undrafted cornerback Tre Herndon stepping into the outside starting role after Jalen Ramsey’s trade, Harrison is the most exciting player to watch develop over the final nine games of this season.