The Jaguars Defense's Most Pressing Issue

The Jacksonville Jaguars struggled most of the past two seasons. What has been the unit's biggest problem?

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) runs on the field before the game of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Vikings defeated the Jaguars 12-7. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars struggled on both sides of the ball last season. However, they arguably struggled more on defense, as the offense lost quarterback Trevor Lawrence multiple times to injury, leading to many of the offense's struggles. While the Jaguars' defense also suffered injuries, the unit showed signs of trouble before most injuries occurred.

There were many reasons why Jacksonville's defense struggled last season, including getting very little help from the offensive side of the ball. The Jaguars' defense was on the wrong side of multiple games where Jacksonville was soundly beaten in the time of possession battle, forcing an already battered defense to stay on the field longer.

This only worsened matters for a unit struggling to stay afloat during the Jaguars' dismal 4-13 season. New Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile noted the defense's most significant issue.

“No, I mean, I've gotten less into that in terms of schematics," Campanile said. "We're kind of moving forward on that, and just looking at how everybody plugs into what we want to do, moving forward. So, I probably spent less time on what all the issues are and more time on evaluating the players and their play style, their play ability, to be honest with you, because that to me is like the most important thing for us right now, that we know our players and that we know our roster.”

The first-time defensive coordinator noted that he has already begun the process of learning the ins and outs of his new unit. Campanile explained how he has already watched plenty of film on the Jaguars' defense and he is excited to get to work.

“I watched a fair amount," Campanle said. "I watched quite a bit of it, to be honest with you. I have a lot of respect for the guys who coached here and the guys who played here last year because I see strain; I do. I see effort. I know maybe there wasn't a result that everybody wanted all the time, but I knew when coming here, there was a lot of guys that I did, or was excited with the opportunity to coach.”

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