Anthony Campanile 'really fired up' about Jaguars' CB Jarrian Jones

USA Today

7 days ago

Anthony Campanile 'really fired up' about Jaguars' CB Jarrian Jones Jacksonville Jaguars' DC Anthony Campanile is "really fired up" to have CB Jarrian Jones on his defense.
Coming off a strong rookie season in 2024, Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive coordinator Anthony Campnile is impressed with what he's seen from Jarrian Jones during offseason programs.
"I think he's done a great job the whole camp," Campanile said after Tuesday's OTA practice. "He's really, really diligent in the meetings. Super detailed in all the drill work and I think it's showing up here in practice in the 7-on-7 and here in the team situations. I've been really fired up about him because he's a bright guy and he's a competitor."
The majority of Jones' playing time last season came in the nickel, where he allowed just 10.2 yards per target with six pass breakups and an interception. According to PFF, out of 42 eligible slot cornerbacks, Jones ranked 11th in passer rating, 13th in yards per snap, and ninth in snaps per target.
Along with his stinginess in coverage, Jones was also one of PFF's highest-graded cornerbacks against the run.
"He's definitely got the ability to play man-to-man and be sticky but he's got a ton in his body in terms of physicality," Campanile said. "He can stop-start and he's a really good cover guy and a really, really big skill set, a wide-ranging skill set as a DB."
With the addition of Jourdan Lewis in free agency, we are likely going to see more of Lewis lined up outside this season, where playing time with Travis Hunter still has to be worked out. But Jones brings a versatile presence to the Jaguars' secondary, and Campanile wants to make sure he maximizes that.
Jones' versatility doesn't consist only of being able to play inside and out, but his man coverage ability allows him to defend a variety of different pass catchers, and he's also someone who can be a factor in the run game and as a blitzer.
That versatility in the secondary allows Campanile the flexibility to really build out opponent-specific game plans, along with being able to disguise coverages to keep offenses guessing, and Jones' presence helps enhance those capabilities.
"You love that," said Campanile about having versatility in the secondary. "You love to have guys that can play multiple positions. I think Jarrian is a guy that can play a bunch of different positions and Jourdan (Lewis) obviously has been able to do that in his career and I know he will continue to do that with us and that makes that exciting because those guys can do a lot of jobs.
"They're physical guys at the point of attack so you can do more with them in the run game in terms of pressure also in the pass game. So that's been exciting."