Saturday’s loss was a weekend downer for fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but there were plenty of reasons to remain positive about the team’s outlook in 2022. The first team defense’s play was exceptional, Travis Etienne looked every bit the part of a bell-cow back, and if it weren’t for their kicker missing a tough field goal as time expired, they would’ve pulled out their first preseason win.
Among the most exciting plays of the game came on a big hit by Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell on Steelers rookie wide receiver George Pickens. Check out this bruising tackle, and notice Trevor Lawrence’s priceless reaction as he watched it in real-time:
Not sure who has the best reaction to George Pickens kicking folks of him. Going to give Zay Jones the slight edge over Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/cY98sg2pWw
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) August 21, 2022
The Jaguars’ official team account on Twitter got in on the fun too, posting a picture of the play that shows just how hard Pickens got smacked.
⚠️ Time to BeReal. ⚠️@tysoncampbell_ #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/XUGXuaabLV
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 22, 2022
Campbell was a college teammate of Pickens at the University of Georgia, and is sure to have gotten some satisfaction out of getting the best of his old running-mate. They were both second-round picks in 2021 and 2022 respectively and were instrumental in the Bulldogs’ success in the SEC over the last few seasons.
Physical play in the secondary has long been one of Jacksonville’s calling cards defensively, and Campbell looks poised to continue the tradition this season. With a few more hits like the one he put on Pickens, he could soon develop a reputation for being one of the more punishing tacklers at the cornerback position in the NFL.
Listed behind Darious Williams on the team’s official depth chart, his performance against the Steelers could be enough to propel him into a starting role. He’ll need to keep up the exceptional play this week against Atlanta but, for the moment, Campbell looks like one of the most promising prospects on the Jaguars’ loaded defense.
