With offseason programs now behind us, let’s take a position-by-position look at where things stand for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Next up are the cornerbacks.
If you missed our other positional reviews, you can find them below.
A fast start for Tyson Campbell in new defense
By all accounts, Campbell got off to an excellent start during OTAs and minicamp. Under new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, the Jaguars will play with a more vision-based approach on the back end, which means keeping eyes on the quarterback to hopefully result in more plays on the ball. This also means more zone coverage than man.
As head coach Liam Coen described during OTAs, he believes that Campbell can “excel” in this defensive system.
“I really am really, really fired up about everything he’s done this offseason because he’s competed so hard in the practices,” Campanile said during minicamp. “He’s fighting for every rep, whether it’s at the top of the route, on the line of scrimmage, in the break area.
“He’s just really trying to play with a lot of detail, and I think a lot of that shows up if you were to sit and watch his individual. He’s competing his tail off in individual.”
Cornerback is Travis Hunter’s more natural position
As was expected, Travis Hunter spent more time at wide receiver than cornerback during offseason programs. This has been the plan since he was drafted.
On the outside, the assumption became that wide receiver was going to be his primary position. However, GM James Gladstone recently offered a different viewpoint, which is that the Jaguars view cornerback as Hunter’s more natural position, so they wanted him to get more opportunities at wideout and working on the nuances that come with that role.
Hunter, along with Jarrian Jones and Montaric Brown, will be competing for snaps opposite of Tyson Campbell. As a wide receiver as well, Hunter brings terrific ball skills to the cornerback room, which included totaling four interceptions and seven pass breakups on only 41 targets last season at Colorado.
Anthony Campanile is “really fired up” about Jarrian Jones
The bulk of Jones’ playing time last season came in the nickel. There may be times this season when we still see Jones lined up there, but the bulk of those snaps will go to Jourdan Lewis. Playing outside is not going to be unfamiliar to Jones either, with a large portion of his playing time at Florida State coming there.
Jones brings a versatile presence to the Jaguars’ secondary, which Campanile will want to maximize. This not only includes his ability to play inside and out, but his man coverage ability makes him someone who can matchup on a variety of different pass catchers, and he’s also someone who can help out in the run game and be utilized as a blitzer.
“I think he’s done a great job the whole camp,” Campanile said during OTAs. “He’s really, really diligent in the meetings. Super detailed in all the drill work and I think it’s showing up here in practice in the 7-on-7 and here in the team situations. I’ve been really fired up about him because he’s a bright guy and he’s a competitor.”
Campanile then added: “He’s definitely got the ability to play man-to-man and be sticky but he’s got a ton in his body in terms of physicality. He can stop-start and he’s a really good cover guy and a really, really big skill set, a wide-ranging skill set as a DB.”
Jourdan Lewis brings “elite” communication abilities to the secondary
When discussing the cornerback position, I’m going to guess that the communication component isn’t at the top of the list. But as Campanile described, it’s vital to playing the position and is one area where Lewis excels.
Improved play in the secondary starts with better communication. That component is crucial to sound play, specifically making sure that everyone is aligned correctly pre-snap, assignments are known, and if any adjustments are needed based on what the offense is showing.
“I think those guys are great communicators,” Campanile said of Eric Murray and Lewis. “You really gain a ton when guys are good communicators on the back end, because to us, when you’re talking about the pillars of defense, that’s No. 1. Like communication leads to anticipation, and big plays are made with anticipation.
Campanile continued, “If I know it’s one of two things, I’m going to be super aggressive and I’m going to have the opportunity to seize the moment and make the play. That often happens with guys that are good communicators and guys that are focused. A veteran guy usually brings that to the table, but they’re elite in that regard.”
Lewis was one of the better slot defenders in football last season, ranking eighth in yards per snap allowed, seventh in snaps per target, and eighth in snaps per reception, according to PFF.
Montaric Brown is catching the attention of Coen and Campanile
Not to be forgotten about at the cornerback position is Buster Brown, who has caught the attention of Liam Coen and Campanile this offseason.
There have been numerous practices this spring where Brown has made a play or two on the football while in coverage. As Campanile mentions, helping Brown be so sticky in coverage and in a position to make plays is his willingness to challenge wideouts at the line of scrimmage and within the route.
“That’s who he’s been every day that I’ve been here,” Anthony Campanile said of Brown’s ball production. “And I can only go by what I see every day that I’m out here, he competes. He loves to compete. Same thing like Tyson, whether it’s on the line of scrimmage, he’s not afraid to challenge people. To challenge people at the top of the route and play with technique, but whatever he’s gotta do to strain and make the play, he’s been doing that, which is awesome. That’s what we’ve been preaching and he’s doing that every day.”
How does the rest of the cornerback depth chart shake out?
We just went through five players. That could be all that the Jaguars roster at this position. Now, with Hunter playing wide receiver as well, my guess is that they keep six cornerbacks, and if that’s the case, that leaves just one roster spot up for grabs. Competing for that potential spot are Jabbar Muhammad, De’Antre Prince, Zech McPhearson, and Christian Braswell.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars position review after minicamp: Travis Hunter, Tyson Campbell and the cornerbacks
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
