When the Jaguars open training camp in a few weeks, the cornerback room will be one of the more interesting spots on the roster - not at the top, where the picture is fairly clear, but lower down, where the real fight begins.
Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones, and Jourdan Lewis are all coming off strong seasons, and Travis Hunter is now set to be added into that mix at a higher clip. That leaves the No. 5 cornerback job as the spot worth watching, with Christian Braswell and Jabbar Muhammad appearing to be the two players most directly in the mix.
Braswell has the edge in experience. The 2023 draft pick was a steady part of the rotation last season, and he has repeatedly earned trust from Jaguars coaching staffs. He knows the system, can line up inside or outside, and brings special teams value that matters for a player fighting to stick on the back end of the roster.
Muhammad, though, made a loud case for himself this spring. Signed in 2025 as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon, he spent last season on the practice squad.
But during the offseason program, he kept popping in coverage. Whether it was a pass breakup in the red zone or an interception, Muhammad seemed to make a play every time the media was watching.
"I think Jabbar, he's made a ton of plays out here. You could argue for a most improved for Jabbar really over the last year," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said about Muhammad during the offseason program in June.
"A guy that really spent the majority of the time last year on practice squad and giving show team reps. He's made so many plays out here.
I think we're excited about what he's able to do."
That puts Muhammad in position to make a real jump if he can carry that spring momentum into camp. If he keeps producing at that pace, he’ll be hard to leave off the 53-man roster.
Special teams may end up deciding it. If a player isn’t starting on defense, he usually has to earn his keep in the third phase, and Heath Farwell’s unit was among the NFL’s best again last season. Whoever wins this job will need to contribute there.
Braswell already has that resume. He played 168 special teams snaps last year, nine more than he logged on defense at cornerback. That’s the clearest reminder of what this battle really is: not just who can cover, but who can help in the game’s hidden minutes.
Muhammad’s challenge is that there isn’t much of a special teams sample to study from last season, since he was on the practice squad. If the Jaguars have to choose between them, that could be the separator.
The Jaguars also showed last season how much corner depth can matter. Seven players logged at least 150 defensive snaps at the position, including Braswell, the current top four corners, and former Jaguars Tyson Campbell and Greg Newsome. This is a spot where bodies get used, and used often.
Braswell handled the No. 5 role late in the year and played the most defensive snaps of his career by a wide margin. Even if neither player is starting, both Braswell and Muhammad could wind up seeing time inside and outside over the course of the season.
And from there, it’s up to them. Hunter, Brown, Jones, and Lewis are all positioned differently in the long run, but the fifth cornerback still has a path to becoming a regular on the 53-man roster.
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What makes this year especially interesting is how much more will be asked of him on defense. Hunter is viewed as one of the leagues top 10 players under pressure entering 2026, and that spotlight comes with the usual draft-pick expectations plus the added burden of justifying Jacksonvilles aggressive investment. The Jaguars believe he can handle both roles, but the next step is proving he can turn that promise into consistent impact, especially with his defensive responsibilities expected to grow. [Read more 🡒]