Jaguars' Tyson Campbell Can't Save His 2023 Season, But He Can Be the Difference Against Panthers

Can Tyson Campbell help the Jaguars snap their season-long losing streak?

Of all the players who have seemingly regressed in the Jaguars’ 2023 campaign, corner Tyson Campbell is a hard one to swallow. The stats show that his production has taken a severe downturn, all the while playing just 9 games due to injury.

And those injuries should give him the benefit of the doubt. He certainly hasn’t reached the elite tier that some thought he might this season, but it’s not like he’s been at 100% at all in this campaign. Jacksonville will ride with him regardless and hope for a better year in 2024.

But if he is going to leave any kind of mark this season, Sunday’s clash against the Carolina Panthers is critical in doing so. The opposition is mediocre at best, and the game is a must-win.

Coming into this Sunday, Campbell will have just played three games since October 16. He has not registered a pass defended since the 25-20 win over the Buffalo Bills on October 8, but the more concerning stats are centered around his last two appearances in Week 13 and Week 16.

On 11 targets, Campbell has allowed 10 completions for 207 receiving yards and three touchdowns. That means he’s not just giving up receptions, they’re going for 20+ yards in the process or they’re going for touchdowns, like the one below.

Evans has always been an underrated route runner in space. Don't think Tyson Campbell thought he had this kind of short area change of direction in him. pic.twitter.com/atpa044vEc

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) December 27, 2023

Reps like the one against Buccaneers WR Mike Evans above can’t happen, even for average corners. For a highly-respected one like Campbell, it’s almost shocking to see him get shrugged off that easily.

Of course, there are other factors that are involved. Plenty of the Campbell’s and the defense’s issues should also prompt criticism of defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell. Campbell is clearly not right, but neither is the rest of the Jaguars defense.

It’s easy to make excuses though, and Campbell isn’t the type of player to lean on them. If the Jaguars are going to play him, he needs to play well and he’s being handed a reasonable task with the Panthers’ WR group.

Besides the Carolina offense struggling with rookie QB Bryce Young, their starting trio of WRs are Adam Thielen, Jonathan Mingo and familiar face DJ Chark. Thielen is the highest-graded Panthers WR by PFF (75.1), and due to his slot presence, will like be the receiver Campbell sees the least. Chark has been graded at a 63.1, while Mingo is a 55.1.

None of those names ought to be beating Campbell on a regular basis.

Fortunately, none of those guys are Mike Evans. But Thielen is still a great route runner, Mingo offers a physical presence and Chark can catch a deep ball. No matter who is targeted, this below-average group has distinct traits that can still make a bad corner pay for a mistake.

It’s not going to be a walk in the park, but it’s certainly a matchup where betting on Campbell makes sense. In many ways, Campbell’s situation versus the Panthers reflects the Jaguars’ 2023 season entering the game: if there is any sign of life, please show it now.