Where does the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense rank following the conclusion of minicamp?
Pro Football Network recently put together their rankings with offseason programs now behind us, and coming in at No. 31 are the Jaguars.
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Taken into account when putting these rankings together are yards per play, points per drive, sack and turnover rates, red zone defense, and more.
“Last season, the Jaguars forced a league-low nine turnovers,” wrote PFN. “To put some context into just how poor that is, not only did every other defense in the league force at least a dozen, but two NFC North teams (Green Bay and Minnesota) forced more than nine mistakes in September alone.”
Basing these rankings strictly on what happened last season, one can see why the Jaguars are near the bottom. While ultimately, they have to prove on the field during the regular season that things will be different in 2025, there are certainly reasons for optimism when it comes to this unit turning things around this season.
Leading the way is new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, who brings a very malleable and flexible defensive scheme to Jacksonville.
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Like any play caller, Campanile has core principles that his system is built around. However, this is also a scheme that will mold to the skill sets that the Jaguars have on the roster, in order to maximize those players’ abilities, and will adapt week to week and in-game based on what the opponent is doing.
In the secondary, we are going to see more zone coverage and a vision-based approach with all eyes being on the quarterback at all times. As Campanile has described, the eyes and recognition are where success on defense begins. This then hopefully leads to more plays on the ball.
Up front, there is expected to be more movement, with defenders lining up in different gaps. And if Campanile takes from Green Bay’s defense, where he was the linebackers coach in 2024, blitzing and simulated pressures will be part of that equation in the front seven as well.
Of course, the scheme very much matters. But also high up on Campanile’s priority list when it comes to implementing this new system is making sure that his defenders have the right play style down in and down out.
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“The most important thing when you talk about defense is your play-style,” said Campanile earlier this offseason. “My vision for us defensively, we want to be a tough, fast, physical, violent at the point of attack team.
“What does that mean? That means that you got guys who take pride in not getting blocked. Everybody talks about running to the ball, I don’t think there’s another person in the world who believes in running to the ball more than I do. But you can’t run to the ball if you don’t get off blocks, and that is something that’s going to be celebrated in our room.”
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2025 NFL season: Where does Jaguars defense rank after minicamp?