Why Jaguars' Mid-Season Addition Will Pay Off in Playoffs

The Jacksonville Jaguars made plenty of roster moves to prepare for the playoffs this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone, left and Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, center, all talk with Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen after the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 18th and final training camp practice at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Wednesday August 20, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In one of the more baffling moves of General Manager James Gladstone's young tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he traded away Tyson Campbell and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Greg Newsome II and their sixth-round selection. This came shortly after the Jags beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5's Monday Night Football feature to move to 4-1 on the season.

It was especially noteworthy considering that the defense was humming up until that point. Campbell had given up a few big plays, but he was part of a unit that forced a league-leading 14 takeaways in that span. Plus, Jacksonville was rolling. But like many of the moves that Gladstone has made, acquiring Newsome II was done with the future in mind.

Dec 28, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome II (6) and cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) react after a play during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Greg Newsome II peaking at the right time

The concern over the trade was only exacerbated when Greg Newsome II gave up a deep touchdown catch to the Seattle Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba on his first defensive snap with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then, he's come along slowly, but James Gladstone's vision is starting to become clearer.

In his last five games, Newsome II allowed an average of 3.4 catches for just 36.6 yards, giving up only one touchdown while also notching an interception. That earned him a 68.12 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus in that span, which would have ranked 27th among all cornerbacks with at least 364 snaps in the NFL this season. Head Coach Liam Coen spoke on how his newest corner has elevated the Jaguars' defense:

"If we don't finish what we started, it would be meaningless for me."

- Greg Newsome pic.twitter.com/y0ZGveIXBp

— Jamal St. Cyr (@JStCyrTV) January 5, 2026

"He's got a lot of confidence. He's got a lot of confidence. He's seen a lot of football. He's smart. He's intentional with the way that he practices, the way that he tries to do things. There's been a lot of guys playing in the back end for us this year and to see that room specifically settle in, get a little bit of that rotation that we've had with obviously Greg and Buster [Montaric Brown] and Jarrian [Jones] and then when Jourdan [Lewis] was still playing healthy, him as well and have no ego about it."

"Like everybody kind of points to DBs and wideouts as being your, I guess you call it, divas. That's not on our team, but I do feel like that's a general consensus. Not this group. This group, they've been extremely selfless with the way that they've gone about their business and the way that other guys have success. They're excited for it, they appreciate each other. They've worked their asses off as a group to continue to get better, and I think that's showing up on Sunday, and Greg's a big part of that."

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