![Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Assistant Mario Jeberaeel coaches Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (3) during a drill during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ mandatory minicamp Tuesday June 10, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_3946,h_2219/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01jznacxnvx6hgyjpwfj.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Assistant Mario Jeberaeel coaches Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (3) during a drill during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ mandatory minicamp Tuesday June 10, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
The secondary was a glaring weakness for the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, so nobody batted an eye when they revamped the unit in the offseason. While they didn't make many changes, the ones they made were significant. John Kosko of Pro Football Focus certainly took notice and gave the Jags an encouraging spot in his latest ranking.
Kosko ranked all 32 secondaries and placed Jacksonville at No. 13, pointing out that the addition of Caleb Ransaw and Jourdan Lewis will give a massive boost to an already promising core.
"The Jaguars struggled at times in 2024 but made several smart moves to upgrade the secondary for 2025," Kosko wrote. "Slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis was one of the few bright spots for the Cowboys last season, and safety Eric Murray brings veteran experience. Tyson Campbell hasn't fully lived up to his draft status but graded well in PFF's advanced coverage metrics in 2024, as did Jarrian Jones in his rookie season as a third-round pick."
Kosko continued, "With the addition of athletic safety Caleb Ransaw in the third round, Jacksonville's secondary is position for a bounce-back year."
All things considered, it was a pleasant surprise to see the Jags' secondary get such a high spot in PFF's ranking. Not because the unit is lacking talent but rather because the team's brass is expecting players who were somewhat underwhelming in 2024 to step up next season.
Tyson Campbell played at a top-10 level in 2022 but has dealt with injuries the past two years. He's now the healthiest he's been in a while and is in a position to rejoin the conversation about the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Similarly, Jarrian Jones is ready to make a leap in Year 2 after a promising rookie season. With Jourdan Lewis joining the group, the Jags are set at corner.
On the other hand, the Jags must sort out the safety position. Eric Murray is virtually a lock to start in Week 1, but they need to find who'll get the spot next to him. Antonio Johnson, rookie Caleb Ransaw, Andrew Wingard, and Darnell Savage are all vying for the job.
Related: The painful story of the worst season in Jaguars history
Travis Hunter, Tyson Campbell, and Caleb Ransaw give the Jaguars a talented CB group
As encouraging as John Kosko's review of the Jaguars secondary is, he failed to mention a couple of things. The biggest one was the trade for Travis Hunter. The two-way star may not play corner full-time given how stacked Jacksonville is at the position, but he gives them a talented player who can step into a featured role in case the injury bug strikes.
Jourdan Lewis, Tyson Campbell, and Jarrian Jones will likely be the team's starting trio at cornerback, but expect Travis Hunter to earn a significant amount of snaps as a rookie. Leaving the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner aside, the Jags' X-Factor could turn out to be fourth-year pro Montaric Brown.
A seventh-round pick in 2022, Brown has gotten a robust amount of playing time the past two seasons but has been inconsistent. Last year, he stepped into the starting lineup when Ronald Darby got benched but wasn't much of an upgrade. One of the reasons was that he wasn't a great fit for the team's man scheme.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile will be using a zone system, which better suits Brown's skill set. So far, he's gotten rave reviews ahead of training camp. When you factor in that he's entering a contract year, it's easy to picture him having a career season.
After a dreadful 2024, the Jaguars secondary had nowhere to go but up, so up they went, and their shockingly high ranking proves that the upgrades they made in the offseason paid off.