Jaguars give CB Tre Flowers a chance with Tyson Campbell landing on IR

The Jacskonville Jaguars knew cornerback Tyson Campbell was going to miss time after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. That's why it wasn't surprising to learn that they've decided to place him on the Injury Reserve list ahead of the game against the Cleveland Browns. Moreover, the Jags have made a handful of moves to withstand his absence.

Besides putting Campbell on IR, Jacksonville also announced that they're signing cornerback Tre Flowers to the active roster and adding safety Andre Chachere to their practice squad. Days prior, they also added Zech McPhearson to their practice squad.

The Jaguars could've turned to sophomore Christian Braswell, who's also in the practice squad, but they instead chose the more seasoned Flowers. A fifth-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2018, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals midseason in 2021. He then signed with the Atlanta Falcons, where he played for defensive coordinator Ryan Nielen.

Flowers reunited with Neilsen when he signed with the Jags in May. He had a strong preseason, earning Player of the Week honors against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but didn't make the initial 53-man roster. After releasing him, the front office added him to their practice squad. In six NFL seasons, the Texas native has appeared in 90 games with 44 starts, registering four interceptions, 22 passes defensed, and five forced fumbles.

Chachere, on the other hand, was an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent time with the Houston Texans, the Arizona Cardinals, the Carolina Panthers, and the Indianapolis Colts before landing with the Philadephia Eagles in 2021. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 and went on to play all 17 games.

The Jaguars are well-equipped to overcome Tyson Campbell's absence

There's no doubt the Jacksonville Jaguars will miss Tyson Campbell. That said, they're prepared to overcome his absence, regardless of how long it is. As defensive coordinator Ryan Nielson said, the team wasn't operating with a depth chart in the offseason, so everyone got reps and is ready to fill in for him.

"Hated it for him first. He was playing at an elite level, really high. Can't wait to get him back. We will, he'll come and be fine," Nielsen said after the news that Tyson Campbell landed on Injured Reserve. "It's just next man up mentality. It's part of the game."

Nielsen continued, "One of the things is we talked about no depth chart, things like, so the guys behind him have had plenty of reps, plenty of opportunities to go out and play against good quality opponents, and show what they can do, so we're very confident the next guy up out there will do a good job."

Regarding Campbell's absence, Nielsen says that he cannot wait to have him back. On the other hand, he believes Jarrian Jones and Montaric Brown are ready to fill in for him, pointing out that he was pleased with what he saw in the opener.

"Technique, fundamentals, extra effort, where they were supposed to be," Nielsen responded when he was asked what he saw in Jones and Brown, "Excited about both those two players. Young players that did a pretty good job on the game, so now let's take the next step."

The Jaguars may want to roll with the more experienced Brown in Week 2 but Jones could also get ample playing time in light of Campbell's absence. A third-round pick in this year's draft, the former Syracuse Seminole appeared in 17 defensive snaps in the season opener.

Flowers, for his part, will tentatively be CB4, but it wouldn't be shocking to also see him take the field. After all, Nielsen likes to rotate his players at all levels on defense and not just the line of scrimmage.

"It's one of the things, at all positions, is have a rotation, like we saw the linebackers, the D-Line, in the secondary. Because it's such a long season. Look what happened to Tyson. Tyson goes down Week 1, so the next guy up. [Imagine] Buster didn't play in the preseason and things like that, we wouldn't know what he would, because he was playing against really good. So we knew, we were confident something happened, he's the next guy in. He goes out there, he does his job."

The Jaguars will welcome the Cleveland Browns at TrEverBank Stadium in Week 2. They'll be without Tyson Campbell for the matchup but they have several capable players to step in his place.

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