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Could a healthy Tyson Campbell make the difference for Jacksonville Jaguars' defense?
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- Could a healthy Tyson Campbell make the difference for Jacksonville Jaguars' defense?
Tyson Campbell made an athletic play to swat away a pass on the sideline from Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr .
It was similar to a play Campbell made during the 2022 training camp, swatting away the ball from Zay Jones and dropping his "Chick-fil-a on Sunday" quote .
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A lot has changed since the 2022 training camp. Campbell is going into his fifth season in the NFL and is one of the elder players in Jacksonville's cornerback room.
He received a four-year, $76.5 million contract extension last offseason that ties him to the team for the foreseeable future. In fact, Campbell was one of several players to see extensions last offseason along with quarterback Trevor Lawrence and pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen .
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However, the 2024 season saw Campbell deal with soft-tissue injuries as he missed five games, and Jacksonville logged the worst passing defense in the league.
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But from all indications, Campbell is back and ready to regain the form of Jacksonville's top cornerback this season.
"I really am really, really fired up about everything he's done this offseason because he's competed so hard in the practices," defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said of Campbell. "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."
Tyson Campbell was one of the Jaguars' best players this offseason
Jaguars cornerbacks Tyson Campbell (3) and Zech McPhearson (34) run drills during organized team activities in May.
Campbell stood out during offseason practices.
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His intensity during reps flashed, especially when lined up in front of one of Jacksonville's top pass catchers. Whether it was Thomas, Dyami Brown or rookie Travis Hunter , Campbell rose to the challenge.
And most of the reps ended the same way when the ball was thrown in his direction—with the offensive player returning to the huddle with their head down after Campbell slapped the ball into the grass.
"I thought he made some really good plays on the ball and he kind of has all throughout OTAs," head coach Liam Coen said after Campbell's pass breakup on Thomas. "I've been really pleased with his approach, the way that he's practiced, the way that he's taken coaching."
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The last coaching staff applauded Campbell's ability to raise the floor of the cornerback room with his leadership. It's not any difference from the early returns from the new coaching staff.
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"He's an awesome guy to coach, man. He's awesome," Campanile said. "He's a great person, but he's a great guy to coach too because he's a competitor."
How good can Jacksonville's defense be with a healthy Tyson Campbell?
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (3), Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown (30) and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis (2) runs through a drill during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ third mandatory minicamp Thursday June 12, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
The Jaguars struggled in the man-heavy scheme they played last season. In Campanile's multi-defense, it seems like players are more comfortable.
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The Jaguars left the corner position largely untouched this offseason. They brought in Jourdan Lewis to play nickel through free agency and drafted Hunter.
Those were the only two major moves the team made this offseason. It shows that with a healthy Campbell, they think they'll be a lot better than they were last season.
"He's got good vision on the quarterback right now," Coen said. "Playing a little bit of a different scheme than he's been playing over the last year and being a little bit more vision on the quarterback, patience, playing a little bit of off-man.
"I just think that's kind of where he's going to be able to excel."
And when Campbell excels, the defense is able to excel. With Campbell playing up to his standard, the Jaguars can present several different looks at the second cornerback position.
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Maybe Lewis spends time there with second-year player Jarrian Jones in the slot or vice-versa. Fourth-year cornerback Montaric "Buster" Brown had one of the best camps of any player and could slot in as a starter in Campanile's scheme.
And of course, there's Hunter, who got the opportunity to play on both sides of the ball during the final minicamp practice of the offseason.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive backs coach Anthony Perkins barks out orders as Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) prepares to run a drill during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ mandatory minicamp Tuesday June 10, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
Though he's spent most of his practice time with Jacksonville's offense, there's a real shot that if he has a strong training camp, he'll be the starter across from Campbell when the Jaguars take the field for Week 1.
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Either way, with Campbell performing at such a high level, it inspires the rest of Jacksonville's defense to do the same.
"Everybody loves when Tyson comes back. We know what we're gonna get out of Tyson," Buster Brown told the Times-Union earlier in the offseason. "We got a dog. He's gonna shut that side of the field down. Ain't no questioning Tyson when he's out there."
Campbell and the Jaguars will return from summer break in late July to begin training camp.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tyson Campbell: Top Jacksonville Jaguars performers this offseason
