JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When it was announced that the Jaguars would be signing Cowboys’ nickel specialist Jourdan Lewis, many were left a bit confused as to how the Jaguars’ cornerback room would shake out.

The thought was that the Jaguars had just found their nickel in the rookie from FSU, Jarrian Jones.

Had the Jaguars really given up so easily on the rookie after such a promising season? He was easily the team’s most productive cornerback in 2024, allowing an NFL rating of just 86.6 in coverage.

Well, it turns out it was quite the opposite in fact. The Jaguars would go on to release Rondald Darby and news broke that Jarrian Jones would assume the role as the Jaguars’ outside corner, opposite Tyson Campbell.

>>> STREAM ACTION SPORTS JAX 24/7 LIVE <<<

There’s certainly some skepticism and rightfully so about the move following such a stellar rookie season as the team’s slot corner. Would Jarrian Jones be ready for a bigger role?

Funnily enough, nickel was actually the position Jones had far less experience playing coming out of college. At Florida State, Jones played a total of 1,218 snaps outside, compared to just 377 in the slot.

Most of his senior season came in the slot, however, his first three seasons Jones played almost exclusively from an outside alignment. That includes his fantastic junior season in 2022; Jones allowed an NFL passer rating of just 42.7 and a 45.8% completion rate.

Jones has all the experience to be successful as an outside cornerback in the NFL. He excels in man coverage, however, the Jaguars likely see a shift back towards a more balanced coverage approach under Anthony Campanile.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Nickel is likely what Jarrian Jones is and will always be best at. He was dominant his final season at FSU from the slot and showed a lot of promise as a rookie in the same role. However, if he can offer the Jags more across from Campbell and grow outside, the Jags secondary likely looks infinitely better than last season.

It’s a brand new secondary for the Jacksonville Jaguars and it’s very possible only Campbell will return as a starter in his same role from last year with the camp battle going on at the safety position. After last season’s failures, it was very much needed.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action Sports Jax 24/7 live.