Who Will Start Opposite Tyson Campbell For Jaguars?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a number of questions in terms of their starting lineup before Week 1, and not just because we are in May.

With a brand new regime and a new coaching staff on both sides of the ball, the Jaguars have a lot of evaluating to do before the regular season kicks off. With new names all over the depth chart, the Jaguars need to figure out who fits best and where.

Perhaps the biggest question facing the Jaguars' starting lineup is the No. 2 cornerback spot. The Jaguars already have plenty of faith and confidence in Tyson Campbell as the team's No. 1 cornerback, but the search for a running mate across from him has been ongoing for a few seasons.

“I thought he’s done a nice job so far. I have. He has those fluid movements, long range, I thought he had a nice day, specifically today," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said last month.

"But also, leading up into today, I just think he’s done a nice job stacking blocks, he’s got good vision on the quarterback right now, 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. He's got confidence right now, which is always good from a corner. I’ve been really pleased with Tyson thus far.”

But for as well as Campbell performs when healthy, the Jaguars need to figure out who the full-time starter opposite him will be.

As it stands today, the Jaguars seemingly have four options: Jourdan Lewis, Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones, and Travis Hunter.

Hunter seems unlikely since he will play on offense first and foremost. He will have a role on defense, but the full-time No. 2 cornerback? It doesn't seem like the most likely scenario.

Jones and Lewis have both played nickel cornerback predominantly, though each also has the experience to play on the outside. For Lewis, he could play outside on base and then slide to inside for three-receiver sets. Either way, it seems as if the Jaguars think both can play outside and inside.

“One of the things we’re valuing is versatility and with both of those guys, we feel like they have the flexibility to play both inside and out," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said after free agency.

"I think we’ll see how that takes shape over the course of this offseason and then the beginning of next season. But between the two of them, both of them are players that we find value in and the versatility between the two of them just allows us a little bit more flexibility.”

Finally, there is Brown. Brown was the Jaguars' longest-running and most consistent No. 2 cornerback last year. He has shown up each time the Jaguars have called on him, and the change to a more off-coverage based defense could do him a lot of good.

As things stand today, my guess would be Lewis or Brown. Hunter will get his snaps, though, and Jones won't go down quietly.