One of the more intriguing training camp battles for the Jacksonville Jaguars is taking place at linebacker. While the thought was that Ventrell Miller would be one of the starters, Branson Combs has very much made this a competition.
Throughout the offseason programs and early going of training camp, Foye Oluokun has taken notice of how Combs has capitalized on the opportunities that have come his way.
"I wouldn't say we had the exact same path coming in," Oluokun said, "but I was a late-round guy. he was undrafted guy, but kind of seeing his role getting the opportunity to increase, get some plays on the field, meaningful plays on the field from the end of last year coming into this year, giving him an opportunity to compete for some more plays."
Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile called it a "heated competition" in the linebacker room. Both Miller and Combs bring a different element to the position, with John Shipley of Jaguars on SI noting the plays in the run game that Miller has made throughout camp, while Combs has stood out as a coverage defender.
"I love seeing his competitive spirit and he kind of rises to the occasion no matter what he's put in," Oluokun added. "He's coming back not making the same mistakes as before and now letting his athletic ability show. So, I just love seeing him grow as a player, as a person, but somebody who I can trust when he's next to me as well. So very exciting. But same thing, more competition in the room. Everybody's getting better. So that's what I love to see the most."
Combs was released during roster cutdowns last August before being signed to the practice squad, where he began the season. He was eventually signed to the 53-man roster, emerging as a core special teams contributor. Combs ended up playing 193 snaps over 11 games, contributing to four of the six different phases.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Foye Oluokun evaluates play of Jaguars' LB Branson Combs in training camp
