It's safe to say Derwin James has the strong safety spot locked up.

After all, he's coming off a rookie campaign that earned him All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as he emerged as one of the most dynamic young defensive stars.

The free safety spot, however, is a totally different story.

The Bolts parted ways with Jahleel Addae this offseason, meaning they'll have a new starter at the position come Week 1.

Who that will be remains to be seen, but based on comments from Head Coach Anthony Lynn, Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley and others, among those who'll get a crack at it are Rayshawn Jenkins, Jaylen Watkins and Nasir Adderley.

The 25-year-old Jenkins ended 2018 on a high note as the team rolled with him at free safety in both postseason contests. They were the first two starts at the position of his career, and he rewarded them with standout play, ranking among team leaders with 12 tackles.

Now, Jenkins aims to build off that strong finish by carving out a bigger role on defense this season.

"Things have slowed down a lot," Jenkins said. "I'm heading into this season more confident, especially getting those last few games under my belt with those starts. It's helped me feel a lot more comfortable because you can watch all the film you want, and you can practice all you want, but there's nothing like real game reps. Once you get those real game reps, and you actually get to feel how guys are trying to attack you and the speed of the game, then you know you've been out there before and done it before. You can get back to who (you are). And those weren't just game reps. Those were some of the most high-pressure game reps (you can have)."

Bradley agrees with that assessment, stressing how far Jenkins has come over the past calendar year.