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Jaguars activate CB Tyson Campbell off of injured reserve, set for return vs. Patriots
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- Jaguars activate CB Tyson Campbell off of injured reserve, set for return vs. Patriots
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell is set to return Sunday against the New England Patriots after the team activated the fourth-year corner off of their injured reserve list and onto the 53-man roster.
The team announced the move Saturday afternoon. In addition, the Jaguars have elevated RB Jake Funk and DE Joe Gaziano to the active roster for tomorrow's game via standard elevation.
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Funk's elevation comes after RB Travis Etienne was deemed questionable to play due to a hamstring injury. Etienne has not been ruled out yet.
The Jaguars will play the Patriots in their second game in London on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Campbell was placed on injured reserve after he suffered a hamstring injury in the team's Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins . Campbell missed the next five games but was designated to return ahead of the team's voyage across the pond.
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Now Campbell will return to the starting lineup and looks to boost Jacksonville's struggling secondary.
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"It's huge, great player. We don't want to lose any good players, any of our players. Getting him back, he's a phenomenal talent, athlete, great teammate," Jaguars defensive coordinator said this week when asked about the corner's potential return.
Just before training camp, Campbell signed a four-year, $76.5 million contract extension with $53.4 million in total guarantees with Jacksonville. He was drafted at the top of the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Georgia.
Jaguars secondary has struggled without Tyson Campbell
Oct 4, 2023; Ware, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (32) and cornerback Montaric Brown (30) stretch during practice at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jacksonville's secondary has struggled to play complete games during Campbell's absence. They rank last in the league in passing yards this season, allowing 276.7 yards per game. The team also has just one interception through the season's first six games.
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Earlier this week, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said that Campbell's return could boost the entire defense.
"That would be a big boost defensively there. I think it would help the whole defense," Pederson said. "He's one of the leaders on the team and getting him back in there – it's good to get him back in practice last week and get him going."
In Week 1, Campbell looked like one of the team's top defenders. According to NextGenStats, the cornerback allowed zero catches on one target against the Dolphins' high-powered offense.
Though Jacksonville's secondary has not been the only unit struggling on defense, it's been under a spotlight over the last couple of weeks, including in the team's lone victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. With around five minutes left to play, the Colts put up 14 points to tie the game at 34-34, largely due to breakdowns in the backend of the defense.
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Nielsen accepted blame for the unit's breakdown when asked about the issues after the game and Pederson said everything was fixable.
"We, as coaches, we've got to make sure that we communicate, obviously, better with our players and they understand the situation of the game, and what we're asking of them," Pederson said ahead of the team's game against the Bears. "All things that are fixable, all things that are correctable, and now, we've just got to drill down and make sure the players understand those situations and what we're asking of them."
Jaguars could use all three top corners this week
While Campbell's activation will be a welcomed boost to Jacksonville's secondary, the team is looking for a way to utilize all three of Campbell, Ronald Darby and Montaric Brown at various points in the game.
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"We're excited about getting him back in the fold. You'll see some different combinations now that we have him back and kind of how we started the year so very excited," Nielsen said of Campbell's return.
Nielsen's words echoed Pederson earlier in the week.
"I don't want to get into a whole lot of specifics when it comes to personnel because I don't want to tip our hand on things, but it gives us some more flexibility to move some guys around and see where they can play," Pederson said this week, hinting at potential lineup adjustments with Campbell's return.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Tyson Campbell activated off of injured reserve
