Following the 2025 NFL draft, with the free agency period quite quiet at that time, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, an important addition for this defense, as defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile described after Tuesday’s OTA practice.
“I love that guy, man,” Campanile said of Ogbah. “He’s such a great human being, and if you’ve had the chance to be around him, he really is a great guy. Super competitive guy but a technician on the field–run game, pass game.
“He’s been great for a lot of our younger players too, because he’s got a great skill set, but he’s got a wealth of knowledge and has had a ton of success in his career to this point, and knows a lot of the stuff that we’re doing in this system. I love Ogbah. I was really, really fired up about getting him here, and I’m happy he’s here.”
Ogbah joins the Jaguars after spending the last five seasons in Miami, with four of those years (2020-2023) overlapping with Campanile, when he was the linebackers coach there. So as Campanile mentioned, there is already some familiarity for Ogbah with this new Jaguars’ defensive scheme, which will help him acclimate quickly and also allow him to help others within the room.
At his best, Ogbah put together two 60-plus pressure seasons with Miami in 2020 and 2021. Although he hasn’t had that kind of production in a few years, he is coming off a solid 33-pressure season in 2024, according to PFF.
But in addition to his contributions as a pass rusher, Campanile noted Ogbah’s ability to impact the run game as well. His presence can provide the Jaguars with a steady third option at the defensive end position alongside of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, which is something that this defense has been missing in recent seasons.
“I think that’s an important piece,” Campanile continued, “because that guy, when you go back at the end of the year, that guy has a ton of production for you–the next guy in.
“Emmanuel is a guy that we gain a ton when he’s out on the field. Like I said, a wealth of knowledge, great competitor, we have a really great guy against the run, and a guy that’s had a lot of success in his career as a pass rusher. So that was a really important piece for us.”
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jacksonville Jaguars’ DC Anthony Campanile on importance of adding Emmanuel Ogbah at DE
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
