Not long after the loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Jacksonville Jaguars dismissed secondary coach Ron Milus. Several days later, the team hired Miami Dolphins cornerbacks coach Mathieu Araujo to fill the vacancy.
Araujo is now reunited with defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. The duo joined Mike McDaniel's staff when he became the head coach for the Phins in 2022. While there's no doubt that their past relationship could propel the Jacksonville defense into new heights, a local beat writer highlighted an added benefit of bringing Araujo in.
The Jaguars may have hired Mathieu Araujo with the intention of promoting him (eventually)
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated shared his observations about the Matheiu Araujo hire. Aside from pointing out that he is a better fit than Ron Milus with the Jags, Shipley pointed out that Araujo could become the defensive coordinator if Anthony Campanile leaves, noting that they run a similar scheme. Here's the skinny.
"They have learned similar systems and both spent time with Vic Fangio in Miami, though, so perhaps he could be seen as a long-term -- or perhaps short-term -- answer to fill any potential void left if Campanile leaves," Shipley wrote.
Ryan O'Hallaran of The Florida-Times Union echoed something similar on Twitter, noting that the Jags are "getting their ducks in a row" in case Campanile leaves for a head-coaching vacancy.
It's worth noting that Araujo doesn't have experience running a defense at the NFL level. Having said that, he was the defensive coordinator at Yale before landing with the Phins. During his stint in South Beach, he got to know Campanile, so he would be the right man to oversee the defensive side of the ball in case the Jags suddenly have a vacancy.
As of this writing, Campanile is a candidate for the openings with the Baltimore Ravens and the Arizona Cardinals. It's not a given that he'll leave, but nobody would bat an eye if he did, as he took over one of the worst defenses in the NFL and turned it into one of the top 10.
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Mathieu Araujo gives the Jaguars an immediate heir apparent for Anthony Campanile
The Jaguars would love Anthony Campanile to stick around for another season. After all, building off of their success last year would be huge in 2026. But regardless of when he leaves, Mathieu Araujo gives them an intriguing option to replace him from the get-go or maybe next year.
Ideally, though, Jacksonville would probably prefer that Araujo learns Liam Coen's vision and how he runs the team and have him ready to take over when Campanile leaves. That said, he could be pressed into action and would need to learn on the fly if Campanile leaves. The team's brass surely contemplated that scenario when they hired him, so they must think he's up for the task.
Regardless of the role he ends up filling, the Jaguars made an intriguing addition to their coaching staff with Mathieu Araujo. With him in the fold, the defense has a chance to be even better than it was last year.