The Jacksonville Jaguars signed Tyson Campbell to a hefty contract in 2024 to pace the defensive as the No. 1 cornerback. But they may have upgraded at the position after trading him to the Cleveland Browns for Greg Newsome II .
The surprise deal went down late Oct. 8, two days after the Jags rallied to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football and improve to 4-1, tied for the best record in the NFL. Campbell had a pass deflection to go with six tackles, including one for loss. Through five games, the fifth-year veteran ranks second on the team with six deflections and 34 tackles with a forced fumble.
But Campbell has been hampered by injuries the past few years, missing 11 games between 2023 and 2024. Meanwhile Newsome, drafted by the Browns with the 26th overall pick in 2021, has missed just seven games over the past three seasons. The two have played in about the same number of games with Newsome snaring three interceptions compared with Campbell's six. However, Campbell hasn't snagged one since Week 1 of 2023; all of Newsome's picks have come since then.
"We are trying to win football games now and part of this trade is that we think Greg Newsome helps us do that," general manager James Gladstone told the Florida Times-Union . "We will be aggressive to make us the best possible team this year."
Newsome was drafted seven slots ahead of Campbell in the 2021 NFL draft. While his raw stats don't measure up to Campbell's over their careers, advanced measurements provide Gladstone a stronger defense.
Here's how Greg Newsome ranks on Pro Football Focus out of 169 graded cornerbacks:
Overall:63.9 (59th)
Coverage:62.1 (68th)
Run defense:67.6 (47th)
Pass rush:N/A
Newsome grades as an above-average cornerback according to PFF. He's allowed a 91.8 passer rating on balls thrown his way, according to PFF, which ranks middle of the pack across the league. His 15 receptions allowed rank 28th-most in the NFL, and he's allowed 13 yards per reception, the 53rd-most among cornerbacks.
How much of an upgrade is Newsome over Tyson Campbell? Here's how Campbell grades out on PFF :
Overall:56.6 (109th)
Coverage:51.1 (123rd)
Run defense:87.7 (3rd)
Pass rush:60.0 (24th)
Campbell grades as one of the best corners in the NFL against the run, but that's not why the Jaguars signed him to a four-year, $76.5 million deal last season. He's allowed a 107 passer rating with 19 catches (eighth-most in the NFL) and 16.4 yards per reception (14th).
Campbell has started all but one of the 60 games he's played over his five-year Jaguars career, and while Newsome has started all five games opposite Denzel Ward this season, he started only three of 13 games he played in 2024.
Here's a look at Greg Newsome's stats according to Pro Football Reference:
2025:5 games (all starts), 23 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 0 sacks, 3 pass deflections, 0 interceptions
Career:59 games (47 starts), 178 tackles, 6 TFL, 1 sack, 37 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, 1 touchdown
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Greg Newsome PFF grades vs Tyson Campbell. Did Jaguars improve at CB?
