Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher BJ Green turning heads at training camp. Getty
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. Getty
All eyes were supposed to be on Liam Coen's offense coming into Year 2, but a second-year defensive standout is completely stealing the spotlight at Jaguars camp. BJ Green has consistently outshone the backfield from Day 1 of the training camp by setting the edge and forcing his way into taking first-team reps whenever veteran starters rotated out.
His best performance, though, came on Day 8 of the camp on Friday. On SI's John Shipley even called Green "arguably the winner of the first seven practices of camp."
Stepping into first-team reps alongside Travon Walker , Green took full advantage of Josh Hines-Allen 's rest day by dominating the first-string offense to the tune of 3 sacks and 2 TFLs in a 45-minute scrimmage.
Getty Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher BJ Green turning heads at training camp.
On paper, Green's just filling in. But in the Jaguars' roster dynamic, he's actually actively burying the rest of Jacksonville's rotational depth.
While guys like Danny Striggow and rookie pass-rushers are battling for roster spots, Green has almost elevated himself into the starting tier, checking every box for making a bulletproof EDGE3 case.
Coen feels it too.
"BJ's continued to show up in both the run and the pass, so I've been pleased with those guys," Coen said after Friday's practice.
ESPN's Michael DiRocco expects Green to land the No. 3 spot in the pass-rush pecking order by the end of camp if he keeps stringing together performances like this.
"In the team's recent Teal and White mock game, he had at least two sacks and at least two tackles for loss," DiRocco said. "Now granted, some of that came against backup offensive linemen, but if Green continues to impress, and he has another chance to do that with a joint practice against the New Orleans Saints coming up, plus the first preseason game against the Saints, then he might find himself as the No. 3 rusher when this team breaks camp."
GettyJacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile on BJ Green's progress.
Coen and the media can praise him all day, but defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's assessment is the real barometer for Green's progress.
And he made it clear that Green's rise is no fluke—he's earned every single rep.
"Yeah, I think BJ, he's a hungry guy. He's worked himself into that position," Campanile said on Saturday.
Campanile even attested to all the extra hours Green has put in throughout the offseason.
"Point blank, I think he played really hard. And, you can have all the calls, all of this, all of that. That stuff pales in comparison to the effort and energy level that your team plays at. That's really how you should be judged," Campanile said.
"I think as a player, as a coach, as a unit, do your guys give everything they got? I think he did that yesterday. He gave us everything he had. He hustled his ass off. Even when the ball wasn't around him, he was getting around the ball. So, yeah, I thought he did a great job with that top to bottom yesterday."
A dominant week in inter-squad practices is one thing, but locking down EDGE3 requires proving it when the lights go on. If Green translates this backfield destruction into the joint practices and preseason opener against New Orleans , the battle for Jacksonville's top rotational pass-rusher isn't just leaning his way—it's officially over.
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