Will Jaguars Have a Plan to Outdo Elite Corners?

The new offense that is being installed for the Jacksonville Jaguars by Head Coach Liam Coen and Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski is going to include many wrinkles, but the scheme will rely heavily on a lot of downfield passing. To be successful at that aspect of offense, beating the opponents' secondary is essential.

The 2025 calendar for the Jags features a number of very good secondary units as a whole. But the sheer number of elite, individual DBs for the to plan for is an outstanding 60% of ESPNS, "Execs, Coaches, Scouts Rank NFL's top 10 CBs for 2025, including four of the top five.

At No. 1 is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in two-time All-Pro Patrick Surtain II. One exec in the article called. him a "complete package [with] size, speed, good tackler, good ball skills, smart and instinctive". The teal and black will face Surtain and frigid conditions in Week 16 in Denver.

"On 56 targets, Surtain produced a strong 19.6% ball-hawking rate with 11 pass deflections and four interceptions. His 5.5 yards allowed per target was top five in the league and he gave up just two touchdowns all season."

The Jaguars will see No. 2 Derek Stingley Jr. and the Houston Texans twice next season in Week's 3 and 10 as a division rival.

The Super Bowl Runner-up Kansas City Chiefs, might be without Rashee Rice on offense in Week 5, but the Jaguars will have one of the most versatile disrupters in the game at cornerback, No. 4 Trent McDuffie.

"Elite instincts to key/diagnose. Understands all the leverages you need to play within the playcall," an NFL coordinator said. "He has movement and strength to defend smaller players and enough speed and leaping ability to defend bigger players. Strong tackler. Complete player."

No. 5 Sauce Gardner and the New York Jets are the Week 15 opponent at EverBank Stadium. The All-Pro Gardner is looking to rebound into more of a dynamic, shutdown man in 2025 with the Aaron Glenn regime in Gotham.

"One NFC personnel evaluator said he's got shades of Richard Sherman to his game -- without the ball production yet. The Jets are hoping their new defense, with coach Aaron Glenn and coordinator Steve Wilks asking him to play more man coverage, will bring out his best. He'll be asked to do a lot after signing a four-year, $120.4-million extension this week."

"Healthy for a full season for the first time in his career, Horn put together a complete performance. His 68 tackles (five for loss), two sacks and 13 pass deflections reminded scouts why they saw him as a top-10 talent in the 2021 draft."

Right out of the gate in Week 1, Trevor Lawrence will be throwing passes against the No. 7-ranked corner on the elite list, as the Carolina Panthers and Jaycee Horn invade Duval.

"That physicality shows up from the sideline on Sundays. One NFC offensive coach said it's hard to run a "duo" play -- designed to get the running back to the second level, matched up against the corner on the outside -- against Carolina because of Horn."

The Seahawks visit in Week 6 with No. 10 Devon Witherspoon in tow. In his third year in Seattle, and has been a star from the get-go.

"Witherspoon has back-to-back Pro Bowls to match two consecutive top 10s to start his career -- achieving the latter in close fashion. But he's the classic tone-setter, the type of player you need to see in person."

The Jaguars will be aware of each and every one of these corners on game days, for sure, but they do have the best possible kryptonite to limit these supermen, and that's Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter.

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