Here's why Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile remains optimistic about the team's defense

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen didn't mince words when speaking about the team's defensive performance after Saturday's preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"I think there's a little concern with, I think, we were playing a little loose in some of our coverage system, you know? I was a little disappointed with the early 3rd and 2, I think it was where we're playing a tight three deep in that situation. We got off coverage to give an easy Omaha away. That was a little frustrating to see," Coen said, adding context that the team is learning a completely new system so some bumps along the way are expected.

"They've been playing a lot of man coverage over the last year here, and playing a lot more zone coverage, so oftentimes you almost start to do too much the other way where we're giving up a lot of grass and a little bit of room so I imagine we're going to want to ask these guys to get a little stickier."

Although the starting defense was on the field for just one series, what transpired was somewhat concerning. Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph completed 7 of 7 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown to blocking tight end Darnell Washington.

On Tuesday, we got a bit more context from defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. On the touchdown, Campanile said there was a missed assignment, something the team has since addressed.

Jaguars camp observations: Camp's first big fight; offense shines on physical day

"Something we’ve got to clean up, which we cleaned up when we got back in the next day, and that's really what happened," the first-year DC said.

The Jaguars used their first practice after Saturday's loss to work on fundamentals, including alignment and assignment. Coen said the team practiced 40 plays to make corrections on both sides of the ball. The Jaguars would snap the ball and reset soon after to align for the next play.

When asked about what the team can improve upon, Campanile singled out another mental aspect of the game: communication. This is an area the Jaguars struggled with mightily last year, but they have since been improving throughout the offseason and into training camp, according to linebacker Foye Oluokun. Still, Campanile felt the team could do a better job on Saturday and have the last two days of camp.

 “I think we’ve got to do a better job with communication. I think that's probably the number one thing. That's just everywhere. Even the sideline operation, all that stuff. So, I think a lot of that stuff, first game, preseason, you see stuff like that, and you get better at everything," Campanile said.

"That’s what we're focused on right now. I think the guys have done a great job of that last two days. So, working hard and getting that right. They did a lot of good things, too.”

There weren't only negatives, though. The Steelers struggled to run the ball, logging just 2.6 yards per carry on average. Campanile praised the team's play for that on Tuesday.

“I thought the positives probably were I thought we did a good job in the run game overall. We were physical in the front. The four-minute stop, that was good to see at the end of the game," said Campanile, echoing what Coen said at the start of practice week.

"Thought the guys kept competing that way. Three-and-out early in the game was good. A lot of things to correct, but definitely some positives there. Like I said, I thought the run game, we did a pretty good job overall.”

Parker Washington continues to shine for Jaguars

The Jaguars are looking to replace a few playmakers they had over the last few years, especially receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram, now with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos, respectively.

One player who has risen to the occasion at a high level this camp is third-year receiver Parker Washington.

Washington was drafted by the team in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent most of his rookie season in a reserve role, unable to suit up for several games due to injury. He played in just nine games with one start, accounting for 16 catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Last year, Washington's role expanded after injuries at the receiver position forced the team's hand. Washington responded with 32 catches for 390 yards and three scores.

In camp this year, Washington has made several stand-out catches, including one in practice this week, a one-handed snag deep down the field on a pass from QB Trevor Lawrence. It hasn't been the only highlight catch Washington has made this summer, either.

The team is currently set to deploy Bring Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown and Travis Hunter at receiver this year. However, it wouldn't be surprising to see Washington get extended playing time, especially with how the team will deploy Hunter.

Washington is plenty versatile to operate as a top backup inside and outside, too.

“When you see a guy who can win consistently against man coverage and match coverage, tight coverage like that, make plays on the ball, attack the ball with his hands, those are encouraging for the play caller," Jaguars offensive coordiantor Grant Udinski said last week.

"They give you comfort to give him isolation routes and put him in different spots just like we talked about Dyami's ability to line up in different spots. It allows you to trust Parker to be at different spots on the field. A guy goes down here. He can plug and play at different spots and go and execute a wide route tree.”

Competition at safety heats up, but remains wide open

The Jaguars have not finalised their starting safety group yet. The team is expected to start veteran safety Eric Murray on one side, but the other side appears wide open with a competition between young and experienced players.

Jaguars rookie Caleb Ransaw, who is converting from corner to safety, is injured and unlikely to participate in the remainder of training camp.

Still, the team has several players, including Andrew Wingard, third-year safety Antonio Johnson and veteran Darnell Savage, who are in an intense competition for the other spot.

Still, the team isn't finished assessing the position and Campanile explained the team will always compete.

 “We're just going to keep assessing that the whole way through. Guys are going to compete every day in practice. They're going to compete in the games. They're going to compete all the way through the last week of the season. That's the way I see it," Campanile said.

"I think that's the best thing for a defense is to always have competition, and I think that drives the culture of the room. When guys are constantly competing all the time, that's a good thing. We want high effort. We got that today."

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Anthony Campanile explains performance vs. Steelers