Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown (30) punches the ball out of a tackling dummy while running drills during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ third mandatory minicamp Thursday June 12, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars Have Two of NFL's Most Physical Coverage Defenders

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for a completely revamped defense in 2025 -- they have no choice, at this point.

Newcomers like Travis Hunter, Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray are all set to play big roles. As will new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.

But two key pieces will also be returning cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Montaric Brown, each of whom is coming off an impressive offseason in the new defensive scheme.

Campbell and Brown are the two most experienced returning veterans in the cornerback room, and the Jaguars will be set to lean on each to help round out the new-look secondary.

A key factor in the secondary will be the scheme change, with Campanile moving away from Ryan Nielsen's press-coverage scheme and installing an off-coverage, zone-based scheme.

As a result of the Jaguars' old scheme, though, Campbell and Brown proved that each is amongst the most physical players at their position according to Pro Football Focus.

"The first pick of the second round in the 2021 NFL Draft, Campbell hasn’t quite lived up to his draft status, with just one season grading above 64.0. In 2022, Campbell earned an 80.7 PFF coverage grade, in large part due to his 203 snaps where he was physical with the opposing receiver. 2023 was a down year, as he reduced his physical snaps to 116. He reasserted himself in 2024 with 218 but couldn’t replicate the success of 2022, posting a 55.7 PFF coverage grade and allowing 1.31 yards per cover snap," PFF said about Campbell, who came in at No. 2.

As for Brown, the former Day 3 pick and Arkansas product landed at No. 5.

"The second Jaguar to make the list, Brown became significantly more physical in 2024 compared to the previous year. After making contact with opposing receivers just 81 times in 2023, he upped that number to 223 snaps in 2024. It led to mixed results, as he allowed 1.42 yards per cover snap but forced a career-high 10 incompletions," PFF said.

What this really shows is the difference in the scheme the Jaguars played last year. This year's scheme could not be more different, and it would be a surprise to see two Jaguars land on it again in a year from now.