CB Tyson Campbell named Jacksonville Jaguars most underrated player

The NFL schedule release has rightfully taken center stage over the last few days. After all, everyone wants to see if their team will get a fair slate in 2023. On the other hand, this is also a good time to remind everyone how good Tyson Campbell has been for the Jacksonville Jaguars over the last two years.

In lieu of the 2023 schedule release, William Moy of Pro Football Focus compiled a list of every club's most underrated player and chose Campbell for the Jaguars, noting was been pretty effective in coverage last year despite logging a high amount of playing time.

"Campbell led all cornerbacks last season with 1,275 defensive snaps and out of the 41 corners who logged at least 500 coverage snaps in 2022, he ranked fourth with an 80.7 coverage grade. Among that group, the second-year ranked third with an average of 0.66 years per coverage snaps, training just Sauce Gardner and Patrick Surtain II."

A second-round pick by the Jags in 2021, Campbell started his rookie campaign in the slot but later moved to the perimeter when C.J. Henderson was traded to the Carolina Panthers. He fared much better as the season progressed and led the team in interceptions with two that year.

Campbell kept getting better last year, tallying three interceptions and 15 passes defensed. He gave up 9.9 yards per reception and allowed a 58.6 percent completion rate when targeted. It's worth noting that the Florida native was No. 6 in PFF's 2022 cornerback rankings, so it's good to see him get recognized over the last few months.

It's easy to overlook Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell given how stacked the AFC is

Moy is right Campbell deserves more praise. When you think of Jaguars players, Trevor Lawrence is surely the first one to come to mind. Maybe you thought of wide receiver Christian Kirk or running back Travis Etienne. Heck, if someone asks you to name a defensive player, you will probably say outside linebacker Josh Allen or safeties Andrew Wingard or Andre Cisco before you bring up Campbell.

It's possible that Campbell doesn't get the spotlight as often as he should because he's not as vocal as his teammates and instead lets his play do the talking. Similarly, it's easy to forget about him because the AFC is filled with lots of cornerback talent, whether it's Patrick Surtain II or Sauce Gardner, a few corners will usually be listed before Campbell.

This doesn't mean there are a gazillion cornerbacks better than Campbell. While it's true that Surtain and Gardner are better, Campbell simply doesn't have a huge national profile. However, offensive coordinators are aware of how talented he is, avoiding him whenever it's possible. Last season, he was targeted six or more times in a game in eight contests.

The best part is that Campbell might not have reached his ceiling yet and might be even better in his second season playing under defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell. If he does indeed make a leap in 2023 and has a higher interception total, it will be hard to keep overlooking him.