The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to take on the Cleveland Browns in their season opening contest from EverBank Stadium on Sept. 13. The team will get the chance to have its first real action since last season, hoping to improve on the 13-4 regular season finish and playoff appearances.
After a training camp slate that featured 20 practices, four joint practices and three preseason games, it’s finally time for a game that counts.
The team will host the Browns, who are led by first-year head coach Todd Monken. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was very complimentary of Monken in the lead-up to the game, reflecting on advice he got from the former coordinator when Coen was coaching at the University of Kentucky.
Jaguars predictions
"I've always had a lot of respect for Monk. Monk helped me out tremendously when I got the Kentucky job," Coen said. "We talked a ton about game planning, about the field dimensions, about splits, about tempo, about all that stuff. I've got a lot of respect for Monk. I think he's legit when it comes to being able to adapt to playmakers and to his personnel."
The team will have to deal with potential game disruptor Jared Verse and quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has had plenty of success against Jacksonville.
Trevor Lawrence on former teammate Tyson Campbell
There'll be a familiar face across the field when the Jaguars take the field on Sunday. Former cornerback Tyson Campbell will be making his return to EverBank Stadium for the first time since being traded last fall.
The former 2021 second-round draft pick was swapped in a deal for Greg Newsome, marking the end of his tenure with the Jaguars. While here, Campbell was very active in the community and was viewed as a pillar of the franchise by the previous regime.
"There's not a better person. That's a guy I always root for, not on Sunday," quarterback Trevor Lawrence said with a laugh. "Hopefully, we can get after him a little bit. Seriously, I have no bad things to say about him."
#Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell hosted a free camp for youth football players today at TIAA Bank Field.
— Juston W. Lewis (@JustonLewis_) June 10, 2023
He also gave a $10,000 donation to the city of Jacksonville’s parks and recreation department. pic.twitter.com/WFy1RNg8JT
Lawrence and Campbell were part of the 2021 draft class and were instrumental in turning around the franchise's fortune. Along with Travis Etienne, Andre Cisco and Walker Little, there were several impactful players to come from that class of draftees for Jacksonville.
His departure signaled a changing of the guard in the secondary, giving Buster Brown the opportunity to step up as the top cornerback on the roster. It also opened the door for two-way player Travis Hunter to see a bigger role on defense as he's projected to be a starter this season.
Campbell might not have panned out on the field long-term with the team, but he was rooted in the community. He sponsored a free camp for youth and donated money to Jacksonville's parks and recreation department.
Campbell partnered with the franchise's foundation for community events several times and clearly made an impact on the locker room, earning respect from both sides of the ball.
"I think he's a great player, a great person, does things the right way so he's always a guy that I'm going to root for, besides Sunday for a couple hours," Lawrence continued. "But he's the real deal. Love that guy and always hoping for the best for him.”
Jaguars emphasize stopping the run
Given that Coen and Monken have a relationship, he knows the Brown will be coming in with the goal to run the ball effectively. The Jaguars boasted the top run defense last season.
Whichever team can do what they do well will likely come out the victor.
"Our motto is to stop the run, so by any means they're not running the ball that much on us," defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said earlier this week in the locker room.
The last time the Jaguars faced a Monken led offense was in 2023 as they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens rushed for 251 yards that day as Lamar Jackson had 97 yards on the ground. The Browns don't have Jackson, but they'll still try to run effectively.
"There's absolutely going to be carryover to the things that they did well in Baltimore that are going to continue to carry over to what he believes in in Cleveland and then adapt a little bit to their personnel," Coen said.
Second-year back Quinshon Judkins is a powerful runner that the team will have to account for. He earned praise from defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.
"I think he's very good after contact. A good runner in general, but he's a competitive runner," Campanile said. "He's going to keep his feet moving on contact. You see that throughout his career as a football player, but that's something that we've talked to the guys about."
Expect for the battle in the trenches to be intense, with the winner tipping the scales in their favor for their team.
Several Jaguars’ players will be game time decisions
The Jaguars made it out of training camp with relatively clean health.
There were a few injury concerns as players picked up late knacks and one player is working his way back from the Physically Unable to Perform list. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers suffered a thumb injury in joint practice against the Carolina Panthers and was sidelined for the remainder of training camp.
He has worn a non-contact jersey during practice this week, but told reporters he’d be good to go against the Browns. Head coach Liam Coen echoed similar thoughts about Meyers’ availability last week, saying he would be cleared to play by the time the game got here.
Running back LeQuint Allen Jr. missed the last several weeks of training camp as he nursed a hip injury. He was present on the field, but could not practice. That changed on Sept. 10 as he returned to the practice field in a limited capacity.
Coen said the team wouldn’t know if he’d be available until the pregame workout, allowing him time to test the injury prior to potentially starting the season. The same message goes for offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen who was activated from the PUP list as the team entered the tail end of training camp.
Van Lanen did not have any competitive reps in training camp, but was able to begin practicing with the team and has been a limited participant this week. Coen told reporters earlier in the week that they’d make a decision on whether Van Lanen would be active after he had a chance to workout on the field before the game.
Whether he’s active or not, expect Walker Little to start for the Jaguars as he’s gotten the first-team reps at right tackle for a majority of the preseason. But if Van Lanen is available to play, he’ll likely see a few game reps to reacclimate him to competition.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars open season vs. Cleveland Browns: Game preview
