JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Continuing the offseason trend of signing players they drafted to second contracts, the Jacksonville Jaguars started camp last week by signing cornerback Tyson Campbell to a four-year, $76.5 million extension -- the biggest deal ever for a cornerback without a Pro Bowl appearance.
In his first three seasons, Campbell tallied six interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and 203 tackles.
Campbell had his best season in 2022, when he intercepted three passes, broke up 15, and recovered two fumbles. It looked like he was headed toward being one of the NFL's top young cornerbacks, but his 2023 season was derailed by a hamstring injury suffered in Week 6.
He missed six games and had only one interception and five pass breakups on the season. NFL's Next Gen Stats had him allowing nine touchdown passes -- tied with two other players for the most in the NFL -- as the nearest defender in coverage. However, that stat is based on GPS data and doesn't necessarily mean Campbell was the player responsible for covering that receiver.
Regardless, it was an exasperating season, and he's eager to erase the memory.
"It is very frustrating thinking you're ready to come back and your body's not ready," Campbell said. "So it was definitely mentally draining, but I leaned on my faith and leaned on God and he got me through it and so that led me [to a place where I'm] mentally stronger now and into a place where I feel like I'm very healthy.
"... I'm still hungry, still eager, and still trying to be a leader."
So why are the Jaguars going to pay him $19 million per season?
Jacksonville believes Campbell is going to become one of the league's elite corners, especially now that he's playing in a defensive system that better fits his skills.
"I do think that the things that we're doing defensively are going to help him," head coach Doug Pederson said. "I think that the scheme is going to help him and the style that the secondary is going to play, I think it suits him.
"...This is really going to help him take another step. [He needs to] continue to work on his ball skills and just have that presence about him that he's one of the top corners in the league."
New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen has been cagey about what his defense will look like in Jacksonville, but he used a man coverage-heavy approach in Atlanta in 2023. The Falcons played man coverage on a league-high 63.8% of opposing quarterback dropbacks (the Jaguars did it only 33% of the time, which ranked 27th) but disguised and mixed the looks in an attempt to confuse quarterbacks.
That worked well enough for the Falcons to finish in the top 10 in the NFL in passing (allowed 202.9 yards per game, eighth overall), third down (33.8%, third overall) and red zone (45.3%, fourth overall) defense. Most notably the Falcons doubled their sack total under Nielsen, going from 21 in 2022 to 42 in 2023, and held seven opponents to less than 20 points.
The Falcons' secondary recorded seven of its eight interceptions in 2023, including six by safety Jessie Bates III, who made his first Pro Bowl. The belief is the change from Mike Caldwell's zone-heavy scheme can pay off in the same way for Campbell.
"I definitely feel like this scheme fits me, being able to play press [coverage] and mix a little zone in there," Campbell said. "Just be versatile and a corner that likes to be aggressive and make plays. So I'm very fortunate enough to have a defense like this and great coaches around me helping me get better."
In addition to Campbell's size (6-foot-1, 195 pounds) and length (75 ½-inch wingspan and 32-inch arms), Nielsen listed Campbell's aggressiveness and physicality in coverage as reasons why he should thrive in the new defense.
"How he's playing and the proximity from the receiver and aggressiveness and things like that, that's what he does well," Nielsen said. "... When we talked about what we're looking for at that position, he possesses a lot of those skill sets and those traits. And so it's exciting that we're going to have him for a few more years. But again, we still know he can get better."
Campbell is all in on that. He doesn't believe he's arrived -- nor feel any more pressure -- just because he got a new contract.
"That's an every-year mindset: to get better even every day," Campbell said. "To find something to get better at and to master your skills. So I feel like I always had the work ethic, so getting better and trying to be better and having ambition is not new to me.
"I'm my biggest critic, so I'm not worried about what anybody has to say about me."