Should Jourdan Lewis Start at Outside CB for Jaguars?

In a more versatile and talented cornerback room, should free agent signee Jourdan Lewis start at outside cornerback to give younger players for playing time?

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis (2) stretches during the fourth organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Tuesday, May 27, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] / Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Entering the 2024 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a unit on paper that looked capable of being an above-average defense. The complete opposite occured as the team finished with a 4-13 record and the second-worst defense in football by yards per game allowed.

The talent that Jacksonville featured did not fit the system implemented by former defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who's heavy-man usage put players in bad spots consistently. The unit lacked communication and playmaking ability on top of injuries that were sustained throughout the campaign.

This offseason, the Jaguars hired head coach Liam Coen along with defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, a highly-respected linebacker coach from the Green Bay Packers who is likely to implement a more disciplined, hard-nosed system. With several new additions to the secondary, things could be on the upswing for the Jaguars defense.

Some of those new additions include first-round pick and two-way player Travis Hunter, safeties Eric Murray and Caleb Ransaw, and long-time Dallas Cowboys nickelback Jourdan Lewis. The addition of Lewis brought curiosity to the standout rookie season from second-year player Jarrian Jones, who is now competing for outside cornerback reps with Buster Brown.

If the Jaguars want to continue to see Jones at nickel, could they move Lewis to the outside cornerback spot opposite of Tyson Campbell?

Since his second year in the NFL in 2018, Lewis has played a majority of his snap count at nickel except for his rookie season the year before when he had 676 outside cornerback snaps and a Pro Football Focus grade of 72. Lewis is capable of playing on the perimeter but it is something that he should not be required to play on a full-time basis.

According to PFF, Lewis is coming off his best season since 2019, finishing with a 71.7 last year for Dallas and maintaining his status as one of the most consistent and reliable slot defenders in the game. It is reasonable to expect him to play in the role he succeeds at the most and he shouldn't be moved from that role.

It's great to see the Jaguars have a rotation at cornerback and depth to maintain stability at an important position. Lewis should be the starting slot defender while Brown and Jones compete for snaps on the outside with Hunter in the rotation. There will be times Lewis plays on the perimeter, but with having played 116 snaps on the outside last season- his most since his rookie year- it will be far few in between.

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