The Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback is well adapted to coordinator Anthony Campanile's new defensive plan.
With Campanile’s quick tweaks and stretchable defense, the man’s coverage will still be in the game and the matchup requirements – but we’ll see more areas in the Jaguars corner basket this season, where they’re able to have vision at quarterbacks and hopefully stand out at quarterbacks.
"Man, they've received a lot of balls so far," Liam Coen said after his practice on Monday. "Just there's more vision for quarterbacks in some areas, but shooting, when we were able to play men, that's what they've been doing last year for a while. They've done a great job in people's work."
As Campanile describes, the addition of Jourdan Lewis, who is primarily in nickel, adds stability to cornerback position and “elite” communication skills, which is a must when cornerbacks at a high level.
Cohen noted Tyson Campbell's athleticism and mentioned that the system was "where he was going to be great." Campanile "really fired" Jarrian Jones, and Montaric Brown continues to be praised by the coach.
And, of course, there’s Travis Hunter, who has gained more representation on defense, including the recent production of the Highlights Reels game.
“The whole group did a great job,” Cohen added. "The staff of the whole person are very competitive, obviously a learning curve. When you get used to playing a lot of people, looking back and playing a little area, it may sound a bit challenging, based on your eyes, discipline, and that kind of thing, I think they've done a great job so far."
In addition to seeing more area coverage for Jaguars, maximizing the versatility of this unit will also be part of the Campanile equation. Bringing players to different positions gives Campanile more flexibility to develop an opponent-specific game plan and be able to mask coverage to keep offensive guesses.
For opposition attacks against versatile defenses, the more you look on the defensive board, the more ready you are. Not to mention the appearance in the game may pop up, and the quarterback may see the front buckle that may not be the same as the highest point he fell.
“You like that,” Campanil said of the versatility of middle school. "You like to have people who can play multiple positions. I think Jarrian is someone who can play many different positions, and Jourdan (Lewis) is obviously able to do that in his career, and I know he will continue to do it with us, which makes that exciting because these guys can do a lot of work."