The Jacksonville Jaguars offense has its leader for the foreseeable future in quarterback Trevor Lawrence. On the other side of the ball, cornerback Tyson Campbell has the opportunity to become the same kind of cornerstone.
The 23-year-old cornerback has already racked up 31 starts in his NFL career and emerged as one of the best young players at his position in 2022. After finishing the year with an 80.8 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus — seventh highest in the NFL among cornerbacks — Campbell is now emerging as a leader in the Jaguars secondary.
“You can see him come out of his shell a little bit,” Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said of Campbell on Tuesday. “He’s a guy that guys look to. He’s a player and he’s able to step out now and kind of talk to the young corners about how to do this and even talk to the safeties about how they’re supposed to be over the top of him at times.
“Being able to play as much as he has early on his career, that’s just going to help him. You’re thrown into it and he’s had his success and he’s able to help the young guys out.”
Heading into his third NFL season, Campbell has been spotted helping out rookies after offseason practices.
Tyson Campbell working with Antonio Johnson after practice pic.twitter.com/vHZf5pOmpH
— Jamal St. Cyr (@JStCyrTV) June 5, 2023
The cornerback also recently hosted the Tyson Campbell Football Camp for local kids in Jacksonville and donated $10,000 to Jacksonville’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Campbell, a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, has two years left on his rookie contract and is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Jaguars after the 2023 season. Given his impact in 2022 and his emergence as a leader in both the Jacksonville defense and the local community, a massive deal for the cornerback could certainly be on the way in 2024.
