I know you're probably busy today, so I'll get straight to the point: the Jacksonville Jaguars suck at defending the pass. Some might say that it's the only thing they should've focused on improving throughout the bye week.
There's two ways you can look at the problem. On one hand, the team's pass rush has left a lot to be desired. However, Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen probably aren't going anywhere. That means we have to look at the other side of this issue — the secondary.
The secondary has the most room for change on the entire roster, as the group includes a lot of players who could be benched, given more snaps, or sold off for draft picks. Going into the bye, the Jags have the third-worst passing defense in the entire league, allowing 273.8 yards per game and making every opposing QB look like a legitimate starter who could be getting things together any day now.
That ain't good; and it has to get better quick, fast, and in a hurry.
Help may not be on the way for the Jaguars' DB room
As the trade deadline approaches, Jacksonville's salary cap presents a significant roadblock. The Jags only have about $4.66 million of cap space to work with as they push through the season. In barbershop terms, that means they ain't got no money.
A man corner who could instantly solve the Jaguars' problems would cost way too much to add to the roster. And if a miracle happened and a guy on his rookie contract was available, he'd probably be looking to get paid sometime soon.
We also have to consider James Gladstone's investments in Travis Hunter and Montaric Brown. The latter just received a big free-agent payday, and it's unfair to expect Gladstone to admit that Brown isn't good enough to hold down the CB2 spot four games into the transaction. In all honesty, I don't think any general manager would give up on one of his biggest signings that quickly.
So what are the Jaguars going to do to fix it?
The same thing they do every day, Pinky: Try to coach up the world!
In all seriousness, Anthony Campanile's getting a ton of credit for building the best run defense in the NFL. The national media tagged Coach Camp as one of the hottest candidates in the sport; and there's a good chance Liam Coen won't be able to keep his DC in town much longer.
With that being said, it'd be nice if Campanile could figure out how to make his defense just *a bit* more balanced before leaving for richer pastures.
I think the former Packer's maximization of the talent available to him on the defensive line is a sign of his skill as a coordinator. This isn't the first season Jacksonville's struggled to get to the passer, but this year's issues have been especially egregious. Despite that, Campanile's still fielding pro football's third-best scoring defense.
If the Rutgers alum can find a way to put his defensive backs in a better spot, he may be able to slow down the other team's quarterback more often than not. It's obvious that the assistant coach is already doing everything that he can, but the Jaguars' heartbreaker against the Houston Texans showed that it still might not be enough.
Travis Hunter's rise as the team's CB1 is evidence that Campanile knows how to bring the best out of a talented individual. Montaric Brown and Jarrian Jones are still young, and they'll need to soak up all of the game their DC can give 'em before it's too late to turn the corner and save the season.
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