Jaguars' Anthony Campanile Offers Honest Review of Defense

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile saw a lot of things he liked from his defense in the scrimmage Saturday night. He also saw a bunch of things that need to be corrected.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12), left, is pressured by defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars scrimmaged Saturday night at EverBank Stadium. Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile was realistic with what he saw out of his unit.

“I think, like most scrimmages at this time of year, some real good, some not so good, some things that we went in to correct that we had to correct. We went in to correct, that we had to correct," Campanile said Sunday.

Campanile also harped on something he has been preaching during the first portion of training camp. He is no different than any other coach. He wanted his team to perfect the fundamentals of the game and do the little things correctly.

"You know, but the most important thing coming up coming out of that scrimmage for me was fundamentals. Run game fundamentals, pass coverage fundamentals, and pass rush. Are we coordinated? Are we doing things the way they’re supposed to be done? Are we doing things the way we've been practicing them here, for the last two, three weeks?"

"So like I said, work in progress, but definitely some good there and some really competitive moments for us on defense.”

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Jack Kiser (54) walks on the field during an NFL scrimmage event at EverBank Stadium, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Campanile's style of play was evident in the scrimmage, just as it is in training camp. The Jaguars played a zone-heavy defense with all eyes on the quarterback. Campanile is hoping that leads to more turnovers.

The Jaguars defense fetched three sacks of the quarterback Saturday night and Campanile had to be pleased with that. The front seven was aggressive and they were attacking the play from the get go.

One drawback for the defense was that it gave up six big plays of 20 yards or longer. Five of them were through the air and two were committed against the first-team defense. The unit worked Sunday in practice and looked a lot better. The defense intercepted two passes and forced a fumble. They also had six pass breakups.

Rookie linebacker Jack Kiser snagged one of the interceptions, off of Nick Mullens, and he returned it for a touchdown. Kiser's score was the defense's first of training camp.

Campanile was also high on first-round pick Travis Hunter who played on both offense and defense. From a defensive standpoint, Campanile liked what he saw.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) catches a pass after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"He's a pretty good athlete. He can do a whole lot. I think everything I've watched him do to this point has been really impressive," Campanile said. "So, I think really the sky's the limit when it comes to him, what he's able to do.”

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