Jaguars' Ryan Nielsen 'Excited' About CB Tyson Campbell

Tyson Campbell will start the year as the Jaguars' top cornerback.

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (32) is introduced before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 37-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA

In the group of potential bounce back candidates on the Jacksonville Jaguars' roster, perhaps none are more important than fourth-year cornerback Tyson Campbell.

Campbell, the No. 33 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was on track to shutdown corner territory entering 2023. A nagging hamstring injury impacted him from Week 6 onward, however, making last season a lost year in many ways.

Campbell missed Weeks 7 and 8 last year due to the injury, eventually returning to the lineup in Week 10 after the bye week. Campbell then missed Weeks 11, 12, 14, and 15. And when Campbell was in the lineup, he was far from his 100% self.

After 25 pass breakups and five interceptions in his first two seasons, Campbell recorded one interception and five pass breakups in 11 games in 2023, the least productive year of his career.

Campbell's injury led to a test of the Jaguars' secondary depth, with the Jaguars' pass defense falling off a cliff over the second half of the season. But with the injury woes of 2023 now far behind him, Campbell is moving back into his role of No. 1 cornerback and entering the most important year of his career.

With a new-look secondary and a new defensive scheme under defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, the Campbell revenge tour is set to be maybe the most important individual campaign of any player on the defensive side of the ball.

And while Nielsen and his staff have yet to see Campbell in pads, the former Georgia product has still left an impression on the field.

"We're excited about him. Heck of an athlete. There's nothing he can't do, athletically. Really a smart player, and picked our stuff up," Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said on Monday.

"Our guys have done a great job of teaching him, fundamentals, technique, and then how he can operate within the scheme. Obviously, we haven't played any plays yet, today's day one. So, we'll go out and evaluate him again but we're excited about him."