Campanile Evaluates Jaguars Defense: "A lot we can do better…" | Quick Hits Ahead of Week 6

Oct 09, 2025 at 07:24 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars on Thursday practiced at the Miller Electric Center.

The Jaguars (4-1) will play the Seattle Seahawks (3-2) at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville in a 2025 Week 6 game Sunday. A look at Thursday around the Jaguars – with offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile speaking to the media before practice and rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter speaking to the media after practice:

Winning was good. The performance could have improved.

That has been the mindset of the Jaguars' defense this week, with Campanile and multiple players saying the unit did not meet its standard in a 31-28 victory over the three-time defending AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs Monday.

"One hundred percent," Campanile said. "There's a lot we can do better."

Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd on Wednesday said it will be easy to "stay hungry" this week.

"As a defense, we were far from our best," Lloyd said. "For us, it's just, 'Get back to the basics.' We have to be a lot better on defense."

The Jaguars allowed 476 total yards Monday and did not sack Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They registered one takeaway – a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Devin Lloyd that gave them a 21-14 third-quarter lead.

Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) during practice at the Miller Electric Center on October 9, 2025.

"We have a high standard for our play style and our level of execution," Campanile said. "That could have been better. I'm pointing the thumb on that, not the finger. I have to do a better job overall.

"We're fired up about getting another opportunity to play a great team this Sunday."

Said defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, "I feel like last week was kind of a step back defensively. I think everybody would say that. We had a lot of great plays. Devin made a great play. I'm not saying we played terrible, but there's a standard we set for ourselves that we didn't hold up to so we're kind of pissed off about that.

"We have a good team coming this week. We have to do get back to what we do best."

Hunter on the team's mindset that it must improve despite a 4-1 record that marks the Jaguars' best start since 2007: "It's a long season. We've started 4-1. We just have to continue to take that mindset to go 1-0 each week."

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Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) during practice at the Miller Electric Center on October 9, 2025.

A specific area Campanile addressed Thursday:

Third-down defense, where the Jaguars rank 30th in the NFL through five games allowing opponents to convert 46.97 percent.

"Every week you're evaluating that and that's something where we've got to improve as a defense," Campanile said. "That's going to come down to the details. That maybe sounds like a cliche, but when you go back and you look at it, there are some detailed things that we have to clean up to be better and we have to be better in that situation."

With starter Brenton Strange on injured reserve and out for at least four games, Udinski addressed a tight end position that now features veterans Quintin Morris, Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt as the team's active players at the spot.

Strange has played 73.87 percent of snaps this season, with Mundt playing 34.53 percent and Long playing 23.42 percent. Morris has played four snaps this season.

"I don't know that we're necessarily trying to replace Brenton," Udinski said. "He is a guy who has unique talents and poses unique challenges to defense. He has skills in the run game, pass game, screen game. He adds a lot to our offense, even stuff that might not be seen on the stat page.

"What you're trying to do is take advantage of those guys' skills and what they can provide to the offense. I think that's a wide variety of things. All of those guys can be valuable in the run game, pass game, line up in different positions in the backfield, out wide, at the tight end spot, on and off the ball.

"Their skills and those guys just being themselves will be more than enough if we go out there and execute and use them properly."

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Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) during practice at the Miller Electric Center on October 9, 2025.