After playing exclusively in the slot throughout his rookie season, Jarrian Jones entered spring workouts earmarked for a promotion.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will enter training camp this month unsettled at their No. 2 outside corner spot, opposite Tyson Campbell. With veteran Jourdan Lewis now in the mix as Jacksonville’s starting slot corner, the CB2 job will be sorted out by Jones, Montaric Brown and even rookie Travis Hunter.
Jones still feels like the clear front-runner entering camp, but he’s reportedly facing serious competition from Brown, the former Arkansas Razorbacks standout who landed with the Jags as a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Brown flashed as a starter early last season, when Campbell was out rehabbing a hamstring injury, and per Michael DiRocco of ESPN, his strong play has carried over to the new league year:
“Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile favors playing a lot of zone coverages, which Jones said he never played in high school or college so he’s still learning, and the Jaguars are still working through just how many defensive snaps they will be able to get out of Hunter,” DiRocco wrote. “Brown has worked with the starters, and he consistently made plays throughout the offseason, including a pair of end-zone pass breakups in red zone drills in minicamp. He has the advantage heading into camp.”
Brown played way more snaps than expected in 2024, logging 855 in total. He held up well, considering the team’s struggles up front, and an offense that was often punting the ball back to the opposition. He flashed some chops in run defense and finished the year with an interception, five pass-breakups and an overall grade of 62.2 from PFF.
Jones is the better prospect as a third-round pick in last year’s draft. With Hunter expected to play the majority of his snaps at wide receiver, this was expected to be Jones’ job entering training camp. His looming battle with Brown for the starting CB2 job will be one worth following closely this summer.
