The Jacksonville Jaguars are drawing national attention for the way Liam Coen’s team has started to take shape, and one of the biggest reasons is now getting a head-coaching spotlight of his own.
In his latest ESPN column, analyst Ben Solak pointed to Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile as a name to watch for 2027, calling him a potential prize on the coaching market.
"I think ... Anthony Campanile is the head coach darling candidate of 2027," Solak wrote.
The case starts with the results in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are 5-2 and sitting on top of the AFC South, with a defense that has become one of the league’s most efficient units.
Solak noted that since the start of the 2025 season, Jacksonville ranks third in expected points added (EPA) per drive and fourth in points allowed per drive. Even more striking, the Jaguars have done it without a single defensive player whose contract ranks among the 10 most expensive at his position.
That, in Solak’s view, is part of the Campanile story. The numbers are strong, but the coordinator’s value shows up in player development too. Solak pointed to linebacker Devin Lloyd’s breakout 2025 season, along with the progress Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper made in Green Bay.
Campanile’s background also matters. He has worked under Brian Flores and Vic Fangio in Miami, and that experience helped shape a scheme that can adjust without losing its edge.
Solak described Jacksonville’s defense as one that mixes aggressive pressure with split-field zone coverages, using movement up front to create favorable matchups. The results have been obvious.
The Jaguars led the NFL in rushing defense in 2025, giving up just 85.6 yards per game. Through seven games in 2026, that number has dropped even further to a league-best 77.4 yards per game.
Solak also highlighted how Jacksonville is doing it. The Jaguars use light defensive boxes at the seventh-highest rate in the NFL, yet they still rank first in rushing defense by success rate. In other words, Campanile isn’t just stacking bodies near the line and daring teams to run - he’s maximizing the personnel he has.
That flexibility may matter even more now. During Sunday’s 42-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars lost two defensive starters, DaVon Hamilton and Eric Murray, to season-ending injuries. Hamilton has been a major part of Jacksonville’s run defense, while Murray’s absence adds another problem in the secondary.
Even with those losses, the defense kept rolling against Indianapolis. Jacksonville forced three turnovers, recorded four sacks and held Jonathan Taylor to 23 rushing yards.
"He puts his players in winning spots," Solak wrote.
Campanile has already been on the radar before. After Jacksonville’s 13-4 season and AFC South title last year, he interviewed for head-coaching jobs with the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. He was reportedly a finalist for the Arizona opening before deciding to stay in Jacksonville for the 2026 season.
Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski also drew head-coaching buzz last offseason, and there’s already talk that he could be a major candidate again in 2027.
For now, Campanile remains in charge of a defense that has helped push the Jaguars into the AFC conversation. If this keeps up, keeping him in Jacksonville could get a lot harder.
In Other News...
Jaguars Trade Buzz Just Raised A Bigger Brian Thomas Jr Question
With the trade deadline approaching, the Jaguars are being mentioned in the same breath as several teams trying to sort out what they need most and what they might be willing to move. Jacksonville is still looking for help on the defensive line, but the latest buzz has also put wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. into the conversation, which is a notable twist for a team that would normally be expected to build around a young pass catcher like him.
The report does not point to any deal being close, and it is based on insider conversations rather than finalized movement, but it does raise a bigger question about how aggressive Jacksonville wants to be. If the Jaguars are listening on a player with Thomas' profile while also shopping for defensive line help, it suggests the front office may be weighing more than one path as the deadline nears, even as other AFC South teams like the Colts and Titans sort through their own trade calculus. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Get A Huge Thursday Night Twist From Baltimores QB Mess
The quarterback picture in Baltimore has turned into a major storyline for the Jaguars upcoming matchup, with Tyler Huntley done for the season after a turf toe injury and Lamar Jackson now sidelined on injured reserve following thumb surgery. What had already been a complicated week for the Ravens got even more unsettled when the team had to reshuffle its depth chart and keep building out emergency options behind center.
For Jacksonville, the immediate takeaway is simple: the opponent the Jaguars prepare for now looks very different from the one they expected. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano has been named the starter for Thursday night, while Baltimore also added Kedon Slovis as the backup and Austin Reed to the practice squad, leaving the Ravens with a quarterback room that suddenly looks thin and unfamiliar heading into a short-week game. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Suddenly Have A Shot At A Defensive Star Arizona Hates To Lose
The trade deadline chatter around Budda Baker has put a familiar name back into the league-wide conversation, and it is the kind of development that always gets attention from teams looking for help in the middle of a season. According to ESPNs Jeremy Fowler, the Cardinals safety is viewed as a potential trade candidate, with clubs such as the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars among the teams that could be interested if Arizona decides to listen.
For Jacksonville, it is another reminder that the deadline can still bring an unexpected opportunity if the right player becomes available. Arizona is also being linked to other possible trade considerations, including Josh Sweat and Jacoby Brissett, as the organization sorts through contract situations and a changing roster picture, but nothing has been finalized and these remain only reports for now. [Read more 🡒]