New Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile brings a wide-ranging coaching background to his new role.
Campanile has been coaching at the NFL level since the 2020 season when he joined the Miami Dolphins as their linebackers coach.
During his four year tenure there, Campanile coached under defensive head coach Brian Flores and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The two operate wildly different defenses, but both have been successful in the NFL.
Flores runs a very aggressive and blitz-heavy scheme, while Fangio utilizes a heavy dose of shell coverages, limiting explosive plays and forcing the offense to string together long drives if they’re going to score–which they often don’t.
This season, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense–where Fangio is now coaching–ranked first in points per game allowed. The Minnesota Vikings’ defense, meanwhile–where Flores is coaching–ranked fifth in points per game.
This past season, Campanile was the linebackers coach and run game coordinator under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers blitz rate wasn’t all that high under Hafley, but the team used a heavy amount of simulated pressures to throw eye-candy at the offensive line and quarterback to cause confusion.
Hafley’s defense also proved to be quite adaptable, adjusting weekly based on the opponent and what was needed to put the Packers’ defenders in the best position to be successful.
Under Campanile as run game coordinator, the Packers run defense ranked third in yards per carry, while rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper was a two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Week and the NFC’s Rookie of the Month in December.
In addition to the variety of successful schemes that Campanile has worked in, he’s also had success at each stop working within both 4-3 and 3-4 defensive structures.
That diverse background could prove to be powerful for the Jaguars’ defense, who may have the ability to throw a lot of different looks at opposing offenses along with being able to adjust on the fly.
“Anthony Campanile represents exactly what we want to be as a defensive unit and football team,” Head coach Liam Coen said. “He brings an aggressive defensive mindset and a system that is adaptable to our players and allows them to play fast and physical.”
(This article was updated to provide additional information.)
