The Jacksonville Jaguars gave Tyson Campbell a top-market contract last year because they believed he was a cornerstone on defense. However, injuries held him back, and his performance left much to be desired. Fast forward to 2025, and the fifth-year cornerback is back at full strength.
Against the Carolina Panthers, Campbell showed just how dominant he can be, giving up a 50 percent completion rate and allowing just two passes for 16 yards on four targets. Not surprisingly, head coach Liam Coen had nothing but good things to say about him ahead of the Week 2 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Liam Coen wants Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell to be physical
Liam Coen met with the local media and said that Campbell has been a stud since he became the head coach, pointing out that he wants him to use his trait against the Bengals.
"Yeah, a guy that has embraced everything around here in terms of the way that he's tried to go about working in the offseason program, his conditioning, just he's been in great shape," Coen said. "Obviously, he's been battling, I mean, that's the one thing about Tyson, is when he plays with confidence and he trusts and believes in his abilities that he has. He can be dominant. He can be dominant; it's just continuing to have that belief that you win."
Coen continued, "Go get your hands on people like go use your length, go use your traits to, go play physical and take the fight to them. That is going to be key and critical this week, obviously, not just for Tyson, but for our whole unit in the back end, especially. But I do think that Tyson has continued to do this, and now this is a great challenge for him against quality opponents."
A second-round pick in 2021, Campbell struggled early as a rookie but finished strong, logging a team-best two interceptions. The former Georgia Bulldog showed notable improvement the following year, and by the end of the season, he had joined the top-10 cornerback conversation.
However, Campbell was hampered by injuries the past two seasons, which led to questions about the team's decision to give him the biggest contract to a corner that has never earned a Pro Bowl nod or been voted All-Pro. The Plantation, Florida native put doubts to rest with his strong outing against Carolina.
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The Jaguars will need Tyson Campbell to show out again vs. the Bengals
A bigger test awaits Tyson Campbell in Week 2. While rookie Tetairoa McMillan and Hunter Renfrow are no slouches, they're not nearly as good as Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. He'll be tasked with shadowing one of them.
Sure, Joe Burrow threw for a paltry 113 yards in the opener, but he should bounce back in Week 2. Having the likes of Higgins and Chase will most definitely help, so Campbell and the rest of the Jacksonville secondary must execute if they want to slow them down.
Of course, things will become a bit easier if the pass rush does its job and prevents Burrown from finding a rhythm.
Currently, the Jags are a 3.5-point underdog in Week 2, but if Tyson Campbell once again shows out, their odds of coming out on top will increase.