The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't take any big roster swings. However, they made a couple of tweaks to their coaching staff that could pay huge dividends next season. The first one was hiring Brian Picucci to be their offensive coordinator. On defense, they replaced defensive backs coach Ron Milus with Mathieu Araujo.
Araujo was part of the Miami Dolphins staff when Jaguars coordinator Anthony Campanile was their linebackers coach. That familiarity has allowed him to fit like a glove in Jacksonville, and head coach Liam Coen is pleased with the end result.
Mathieu Araujo has had an immediate impact with the Jaguars
Liam Coen met with the local media after a day of minicamp practice. He said that Mathiew Araujo has had an immediate impact, pointing out that he's fit defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's.
"I feel like the secondaries improved drastically from where we were. I think the combination of Matt Araujo and Anthony Perkins have done a phenomenal job in the secondary, collaborating with what Campy's vision is back there," Coen responded when assessing the secondary's performance (8:00 mark). "But what Matt has brought has been some swagger, some confidence, and we're trying to play a little bit stickier underneath. And look, make us throw, make people throw the ball over your heads. The percentages of completions of just a go-ball versus a hitch or a curl, it's so much smaller."
Coen continued, "The margin for error is so much smaller, to say, man, the ball has to get completed 45 yards down the field on the red line one-on-one, right? So we're trying to just continue to take the air out of the coverage, and that's not just in the secondary; that's at the linebacker position, and that only helps the rush, right? The rush and the coverage are always tied together, and if we can be a little bit more sticky, a little bit tighter coverage, even when we're in our zones, I think it's only going to help our cause."
Sophomore Jabbar Muhammad may already be reaping the rewards of Araujo's arrival, as he's been a standout throughout the offseason program.
Aside from Muhammad, Araujo will be tasked with getting the most out of players such as two-way star Travis Hunter, cornerback Montaric Brown, and safeties Caleb Ransaw, Jalen Huskey, and Antonio Johnson.
The Jaguars will benefit from the Mathieu Araujo hire in the short and long term
The pass rush is the biggest question mark on defense, but the secondary also needs work. The Jacksonville back end showed no resistance against Josh Allen in the playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. Mathieu Araujo is expected to be part of the solution, so opposing quarterbacks won't torch the Jaguars next season.
It's also worth noting that if the Jaguars defense improves, as expected, there's a strong chance Anthony Campanile will leave for a head-coaching job in the next hiring cycle. Araujo could be his heir apparent, as the two share the same defensive philosophy and run a similar scheme.
The bottom line is that the Mathieu Araujo hire serves different purposes, and the Jaguars already look smart for bringing him in the offseason.
Add us as a preferred source on Google