Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome II (6) enters the field during Salute to Service before the start of an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, November 16, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why the Jaguars Limited Greg Newsome's Role vs. Cardinals

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Nov 24, 2025 2:18 PM ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars picked up their seventh win of the season in Week 12 vs. the Arizona Cardinals, and they did so with big plays from all three sides of the ball.

It was the Jaguars' defense that made the final play, with the Jaguars getting a fourth-down stop in overtime to win 27-24. But on the game's final pass, it was veteran backup cornerback Christian Braswell in coverage and not starting cornerback Greg Newsome, who played special teams but little defense over the course of the final half-plus.

Newsome's Limited Role

Newsome, who has popped up on the injury report in recent weeks, was subbed out on the defense for Braswell throughout the second half and finished the game with just 27 snaps (32%) -- his third fewest snaps as a Jaguar. The only two games he played a smaller role in were his Week 6 debut days after joining the team, and in Week 11 when he left the game early with an injury.

“Yeah, it was both injury and – he tweaked it last week. (I) felt like he didn't practice a ton this week and we just made a decision there for the best thing for the team," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after the game.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With Newsome on the sideline, it was Braswell who stepped up in the defense for the second week in a row. Braswell played 56 (67%) snaps for the Jaguars' defense, coming up big on the game's final play as he fought and competed throughout the contest.

Braswell is someone who has long been a favorite of multiple Jaguars coaching staffs, and he has once again found a home on Coen's and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's squad in 2025 after a strong training camp.

Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"He's been awesome. He was really competitive in camp. Everybody on our team loves Bras[well] because he doesn’t say too much, man. He just goes to work," Campanile said about Braswell last week in the lead up to the Cardinals game.

"He works hard. He's competitive. I thought he played really well the other day. I was happy for him. And happy for our team because I thought he did a great job. He's a great competitor, man, so yeah really excited about his performance the other day.”