3 Major Differences With the Jaguars' Defense in 2026: The Travis Hunter Impact

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- One of the biggest offseason wins for the 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars came early in the year when coordinator Anthony Campanile officially returned for a second season at the helm of the defense.

But while the Jaguars will have their first sense of continuity on the defensive side of the ball in years, that doesn't mean the unit isn't facing its own sense of change entering 2026.

So with Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns right around the corner, what are the biggest changes to expect from the Jaguars' defense this season?

Travis Hunter, Mathieu Araujo Leading the Secondary

The Jaguars' secondary was a big part of their success a year ago in terms of big plays in critical moments, such as wins over the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. But the secondary was also the victim of its own success, with the zone-heavy vision-based scheme creating turnovers for the secondary, but also creating some easier throws for quarterbacks. Passers averaged 2.74 seconds of time to throw against the Jaguars in 2025, with only the Cleveland Browns seeing quarterbacks get the ball out of their hands quicker.

To solve that problem, the Jaguars have taken a few different approaches to a secondary that is replacing its two biggest weaknesses from a year ago in terms of the personnel. That means Travis Hunter and Antonio Johnson have been promoted to starting roles, and the Jaguars have a new defensive pass game coordinator in Mathieu Araujo. Araujo is overseeing a secondary that is bringing a different type of coverage style into the 2026 season, of which they worked hard at over the course of training camp.

“Yeah, that's a big thing that we've been working on this offseason has been, challenging people a little bit more, eliminating some of the easy completions that might have hurt us at times last year ... Like understanding the down and distance and what the call is, understanding in the red zone what type of routes that you're going to be typically having to defend, and so it was nice, great to see us get our hands on a few because we haven't had a ton of ball disruption as much as we'd like to maybe have, and that's the yin and yang. You play a little bit more match coverage. Well, your eyes are on the receiver, not the quarterback, so that's always the balance. It's like, do we want to get more sacks and ball production in terms of challenging routes, or do you want to sit there in vision zone and get picked apart, but you're going to get some turnovers, so that's something that we've been working through.”
Liam Coen on Aug. 25.

With Hunter set to be the Jaguars' starting cornerback and Araujo leading a secondary undergoing scheme change, the coverage on the back end of Campanile's unit is set to look very different this year. Better, too, the Jaguars hope.

Who is Replacing Devin Lloyd?

Devin Lloyd was one of the Jaguars' most productive players a year ago, recording 81 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and a team-leading five interceptions on his way to second-team All-Pro honors. The Jaguars let Lloyd walk in free agency on a deal with the Carolina Panthers in March, however, creating a significant void on the Jaguars' linebacker depth chart.

The Jaguars did not sign any free agent linebackers until training camp already begun with additions like Jahlani Tavai, and their lone draft pick at the position came with seventh-round linebacker Parker Hughes, who is out for the season on injured reserve. That means the Jaguars' options for Lloyd's replacement ultimately came down to fourth-year linebacker Ventrell Miller and second-year pro Branson Combs.

The pair each got their fair share of reps with the starting defense, and head coach Liam Coen made it clear that both will play a role in the defense. But someone has to lead the charge, unless the Jaguars opt to go with a true platoon or, perhaps more likely, the Jaguars use extra defensive backs to fill the void.

The Pass-Rush Depth

bryan thoma — Aug 28, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. (57) reacts with tight end Hunter Long (84) and defensive tackle Jalen Hunt (96) after a sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third quarter during preseason at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars' top two backup pass rushers a year ago were veterans Dawuane Smoot and Emmanuel Ogbah, who have appeared in a combined 263 games in a combined 19 seasons. Now, the Jaguars' top backup pass-rushers are BJ Green, Danny Striggow, and undrafted rookie Bryan Thomas Jr., who enter Week 1 with a combined 24 games in two combined seasons.

The Jaguars' pass-rush will always be led by Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen as long as the star pair of defensive ends reside in Duval, but this year they will be supported by one of the youngest edge rusher depth charts in the NFL. The young guns have made a lot of plays with the reps afforded to them, but it is clear the Jaguars will need them in a big way in 2026.

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