Liam Coen has wasted no time putting together his staff after becoming the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He kept Heath Farwell to coach the special teams and later hired Anthony Campanile as the defensive coordinator.
Campanile takes over a defense that underachieved last season. Jacksonville ranked 27th in points surrendered and 31st in total yards. Part of the unit's poor performance falls on Ryan Nielsen's shoulders.
After getting hired as the defensive coordinator, Nielsen talked about putting an emphasis on fundamentals and technique. The approach made sense on paper, but he quickly rubbed players the wrong way with his arrogant demeanor. It showed on the field.
Campanile will need to buck the trend and get players to buy in. Working in his favor is that he's got the attitude to get the defense going.
The way Anthony Campanile always manages to integrate family as motivation in his speeches on Hard Knocks, whether it’s about the international language of ass whoopings or mercenaries, shows just how big of a family man he is.
— Reason (@the_real_reason) December 13, 2023
Love it. #finsup pic.twitter.com/sR21Z2iPf2
Given that Campanile will inherit the defense, he has no attachment to anyone and will make players earn their jobs. With this in mind, here are five Jaguars defenders who'll benefit from his presence and one who won't.
Winner: Ventrell Miller, linebacker
The Jaguars took a flyer on Ventrell Miller in the 2023 draft despite the fact that he missed time in his last two seasons at Florida with bicep and foot injuries. He must've felt frustrated because he suffered a torn Achilles that ended his rookie season before it started.
But then, Miller managed to stay healthy in 2024, and made the most of his playing time, logging 80 total tackles and four tackles for a loss in relief of Foyesade Oluokun.
Even though Miller mostly had a reserve role last season, he arguably played better than starter Devin Lloyd. Both of them will get a clean start with Campanile, and that could allow Miller to seize the starting job next to Oluokun.
Winner: Maason Smith, defensive tackle
Early in his rookie season, Maason Smith was unremarkable. In fact, he was a healthy scratch in a couple of games, but the 2024 second-round pick improved and finished strong, registering three sacks, the third-best on the Jags, and showing aptitude against the run.
Smith should continue developing under Campanile, who turned the Packers run defense into one of the best in the NFL last year. The former LSU Tiger is just scratching the surface of his talent, and nobody will bat an eye if he makes a massive leap in Year 2.
Winner: Antonio Johnson, defensive back
As a rookie, Antonio Johnson showed promise in the slot, but because he lined up at safety at Texas A&M, he changed positions last year. The switch didn't go well and was eventually benched in favor of Darnell Savage.
Johnson returned to the starting lineup when Andre Cisco struggled, but wasn't able to permanently seize the job. He'll probably be given a chance to compete, even if the Jaguars bring in another safety in free agency or the draft.
It's worth noting that Campanile has mostly coached linebackers in the NFL but he was responsible for the defensive backs at Boston College in 2018. In fact, Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland approves his hiring. H/T to John Shipley of Sports Illustrated for digging the Instagram post.
Dolphins safety Jevon Holland approves the #Jaguars DC hire. pic.twitter.com/Bjtuf73FGX
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) January 31, 2025
Campanile was the Dolphins linebackers coach from 2020-2023. Circling back to Holland, his endorsement of the new Jaguars defensive coordinator should get Johnson pumped up.
Loser: Devin Lloyd, linebacker
You could make the case that Devin Lloyd will benefit from the arrival of Anthony Campanile. On the other hand, he won't have the same leeway he had under the previous regime by virtue of being a 2022 first-round pick.
Make no mistake, Lloyd has no shortage of talent but hasn't been able to turn it into steady production. He's come a long way since his rookie season and has been more consistent the past two years. However, the former Utah Ute hasn't become the game-changer the Jags expected when they moved back into the first round to draft him 27th overall in 2022.
With general manager Trent Baalke gone, Lloyd might need to fend off Ventrell Miller to keep his job. Then again, that's probably the best for the two as iron sharpens iron.