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'Last man standing': Jaguars' Rayshawn Jenkins wants to build on impressive 2022 campaign
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- 'Last man standing': Jaguars' Rayshawn Jenkins wants to build on impressive 2022 campaign
Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins didn't mince words when asked about what the defense wants to show this year: "We're a top-five defense and that's just for real," he said.
Last season, Jacksonville's defense finished 24th in total yards per game allowed, giving up 252 yards per game. Still, the team improved as the season progressed and the turnovers kept piling up. It hasn't been that long since Jenkins took off 52 yards on a walk-off pick-six in the team's overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys .
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This year, Jenkins doesn't want to see a repeat of the year prior. The team started the year 3-7, ultimately finishing with a 9-8 record but simple mistakes didn't allow them to finish games off early on.
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"I feel like we put some good things on film last year. This year, it's about being more consistent," Jenkins said when asked about what the team needs to show this year.
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"We had some highs, we had some lows, but I don't want to fall 2-7 like we did last year. Just come out here and not play behind the eight-ball. Let's just get things going early and have people have to catch up to us."
The Jaguars' defense is heading into Year 2 under defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell. While there are sure to be some highs and lows, the general consensus surrounding them is that there won't be much to think about on the field anymore.
"It's always good to come back into a scheme or a situation that is familiar. I know when I was with the Chargers, we were in the same scheme for all four years. That really played to my benefit," Jenkins said when asked about the unit.
"I feel like the same thing could happen here as well. Last year, we were just getting familiar with the play calls, the coaches and everything like that, but now we know the things that can beat us, we know what plays to our advantage and what plays to our disadvantage."
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'Last man standing'
Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins (2) warms up with teammates during Friday morning's training camp session.
Entering his third season with Jacksonville, Jenkins is one of the most seasoned veterans on the team but understands he can still get better.
Jenkins approached this offseason a bit differently than he has in the past. This year, he had a clear goal in mind: to be the last man standing, focusing on conditioning more than perhaps years prior.
"Just so that when it's late in the fourth quarter and everybody [is] tired, my mindset is to be the last man standing," he said. "So, if I can look as good as I did on the first play, then that's all I would need."
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Last season, Jenkins posted the best statistical season of his career. In 17 games during the regular season, Jenkins accounted for 116 total tackles (73 solos), 12 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and three interceptions, including the aforementioned pick-six against the Cowboys.
Jenkins wants to improve, still, and get more consistent heading into his seventh season in the NFL.
"Just staying consistent. Continue to come out here and prove that I can do that game-in and game-out," he said. "I've been training and working and really putting my best foot forward so I could be able to do that for my team in any given situation."
Jenkins taking rookie Antonio Johnson under his wing
Antonio Johnson back pedals in a drill during the 2023 Jaguars Rookie Minicamp held at TIAA Bank Field.
While Jenkins is a seasoned veteran, the majority of the team's other defensive backs are young. In the team's safety group alone, only Jenkins is older than 26.
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Younger players are coming in, too. The Jaguars invested a fifth-round pick in former Texas A&M defensive back Antonio Johnson. Johnson has been playing safety with Jacksonville thus far in camp, working his way into the team's defense.
Jenkins has helped mentor guys like cornerback Tyson Campbell and fellow safety Andre Cisco in the past. Now, he is taking Johnson under his wing, hoping he can get off to a faster start than he did in his career as a rookie.
"He'll come up to be and be like, 'Hey Jenkz, what did you see that play?' and I'll break down the entire thought process to him because I want them to be able to learn earlier than I did. I didn't feel like I started learning the game until maybe Year 3," Jenkins said when asked about the rookie's progress.
Johnson has played multiple positions and was a standout player for the Aggies during his three-year career with the team, earning 2022 AP All-SEC First Team honors.
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Johnson accounted for 164 tackles (96 solos), 14 tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception. At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Johnson stands out during practices, and, to Jenkins, he and other younger players have a bit of an advantage working with veterans.
Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) dances around during the warm up period at the Jacksonville Jaguars Friday morning training camp session July 28, 2023 inside the Miller Electric Center training facility. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
"These guys have the advantage, in my opinion, because they really have vets that will teach them step-by-step, their thought process, the game being situational, things like that," Jenkins said. "He's really eager to learn, good kid."
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82 .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Rayshawn Jenkins continues to grow, wants consistency in 2023
