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Anthony Campanile recently discussed the “really competitive” Jaguars’ safety position.
We know that Eric Murray will be one of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ starting safeties this season. But after that, who is starting next to Murray and what the overall safety depth chart looks like from top to bottom is all very much still up in the air.
Competing for that playing time, and potentially a roster spot, depending on how many safeties the Jaguars want to keep, are Caleb Ransaw, Darnell Savage, Antonio Johnson, and Andrew Wingard. The Jaguars also selected Rayuan Lane in the sixth round of this year’s NFL draft.
With that many players vying for one starting spot, it has helped cultivate a very competitive room.
“It’s been really competitive and I think Antonio Johnson has done a great job too,” Anthony Campanile said after Wednesday’s minicamp practice. “Those guys are all real positive with each other in the room. If they’re in there, they are coaching each other up. Out on the field they’re coaching each other up.
“Competition is a great thing. That’s a great problem to have, and our guys are going about that the right way, trying to help each other through it, but they are competing every day.”
Murray has played all over the defensive backfield during his NFL career, but could be tasked with taking on more of a free safety role in the Jaguars’ defense, given his experience and ability to quarterback the back end. Campanile said recently that Murray has “elite” communication skills, a key element to playing the safety position.
If this is how things play out, that would mean that, specifically, the Jaguars could be looking for a strong safety to pair with Murray. Oftentimes, the strong safety is tasked with playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
Now, having said that, versatility is likely going to be a prominent characteristic that Campanile is looking for at the safety position. Coming from Green Bay, where Campanile coached under Jeff Hafley, that defense prioritized interchangeability at safety, wanting all of their players to be able to bounce from free safety to the nickel to being a box defender as needed.
If Campanile wants to build his defense in Jacksonville in a similar fashion, then the player who can shoulder a variety of roles and responsibilities may be the one who earns those starting snaps next to Murray.
“We got some good guys back there, some smart guys back there,” Campanile added. “Like you said, Dewey, Sav. Having Sav back is awesome too because he’s a sharp dude and has a bunch of ability.
“I think Caleb has done a really good job. I think he was coached really well in college, also because he’s a sharp guy. He’s got clean feet. He moves really, really well. A good athlete, and he’s doing extra every day, too. Just getting caught up, obviously coming in after those guys, but he’s doing a good job for us.”
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