Back in the early stages of 2025, following a season where the Jaguars were 31st on total defense and recorded only nine turnovers, head coach Liam Coen looked to an emerging voice on the defensive front: Anthony Campanile. The one-time Packers and Dolphins linebackers coach was brought aboard in January as defensive coordinator.  A throwback to the walkie-talkie generation, Campanile is known for his constant energy and linebacker-oriented philosophy. He was brought on to revitalize a defense that had lost its teeth. 

It’s a move that DT Tyler Lacy feels is just what Jacksonville required. Lacy described Campanile’s system as “fast, physical, aggressive,” a drastic shift from the soft-zone-heavy schemes that plagued the defense in 2024. The response has been instant. “What we needed especially for a young team… I feel like that’s more beneficial to us besides just standing and being a sitting target,” Lacy said. He was talking about Campanile’s focus on activity in the area of contact—D-linemen filling gaps, linebackers coming with authority, and safeties playing downhill. To Lacy, Campanile isn’t merely diagramming plays; he’s establishing accountability, lucidity, and assurance across the front seven.

Lacy’s passion is characteristic of broader locker-room adoption. Jaguars senior defensive assistant Bill Sheridan said in June, “I think our players have totally fallen for Anthony Campanile … he’s just a very genuine guy.” Sheridan was not alone in his opinion, with players such as Josh Hines-Allen singling out Campanile’s passion and reliability. The message: Other voices may shout loud but Campanile earns respect by practicing what he preaches. And in a locker room drained of last year’s chaos, that sort of leadership comes across as protocol rather than personality.

If 2024 was characterized by blown gaps, mental mistakes, and identity crises, 2025 is like a reset. Campanile’s defenses in Green Bay were stingy with 99.4 rushing yards per game and ranked fifth in overall defense (314.5 yards per game). He’s coached pressure packages, run fits, and ball-hawking linebackers. That’s the kind of stuff that helps a young group focus. Campanile enters his first season as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator with great expectations built on demonstrated success.

With the Jaguars readying for the 2025 season, they know what’s on the line. New general manager James Gladstone emphasized a strategy centered around ‘intangibly rich’ prospects, innovative data analysis, and a departure from traditional scouting norms, while head coach Liam Coen discussed building an adaptable, athletic roster. That mandate isn’t mere lip service; it’s being made manifest in drills that focus on form tackling, pursuit routes, and stringing calls together in the secondary. For Lacy, that translates to less confusion and more chances to deliver hit-changing plays.

His personal development shows the change as well. Lacy, a former standout at Oklahoma State, has swung between the edge and inside line in Jacksonville’s rotation. He fits Campanile’s model: the type of player who loves movement and comfort across alignments. Behind him, veterans such as Arik Armstead, Josh Hines‑Allen, Maason Smith, and DaVon Hamilton have been called upon to step up. ” He (Camp) holds people accountable,” edge rusher Rashan Gary explained during camp. “That raises the standard for everyone.”

New coaching standard makes defensive line rotation competitive

Campanile’s arrival hasn’t only changed play calls—it’s changed the culture. Position battles are no longer a spectator sport. Now, every repetition matters. The defensive line room is now a proving ground: Lacy, Robertson-Harris, Armstead, Walker, and Smith. They’re all fighting in a system that values aggression and accuracy.

Campanile’s focus on basic eye discipline, correct pad level, and violent use of the hands is catching on. In OTAs, he openly called out players to achieve their best speed through body composition changes with the strength coaches. He desires fewer “big men” and more athletes across all positions. Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd exhibited leaner, more explosive physiques. That change reflects Campanile’s philosophy: strength without speed equals slowdown.

It’s also coming under more intense scrutiny in camp evaluations. Those players who used to ride on reputation are getting challenged. Tightness in gaps, pursuit angles, and finishing every rep violently were non-negotiables. That is not an empty threat: camp reps are filled with vets getting replaced at the midpoint of a period, and rookies getting substituted in on merit instead of hype. Coen and Campanile credited the “cleaner” drills, such as Day 4 of OTA,s when coaches commented on unusually clean alignment and communication from a rookie scheme, a dramatic departure from 2024’s disorder. That carried over into padded practices, where attention appeared sharper in sweltering Jacksonville heat.

If patience was the luxury of last year, urgency is the currency this year. Five new draft choices, a reshuffled staff, and growing expectations have all fed into a story: the Jaguars’ defense isn’t just changing, it’s rebuilding.