Jaguars open camp with a corner spot they didn't expect to be filling

Already covered the Jackson retirement here yesterday, so I'll keep this brief. The depth chart at cornerback heading into camp lists Keni-H Lovely, Jabbar Muhammad, and Preston Hodge — a group that was supposed to have Jackson slotted in behind them as a veteran backstop after six NFL seasons. Now that cushion is gone, and the names behind him on the board are unproven at this level.

The broader defensive picture isn't comfortable either. DaVon Hamilton is essentially a one-man rotation at defensive tackle — no other DT logged meaningful snaps last season — which means two of the more thankless positions on the field are thin simultaneously as camp opens. The offense is in good shape; the Strange extension is done, Lawrence is healthy, and Travis Hunter is finally active after a limited 2025. The defensive side of the ledger is where Jacksonville has real work to do.

My read: the corner situation is manageable if the young depth chart names develop quickly, but there's no margin for injury. One misstep and Jacksonville is patching a position that was already short a body before the first padded practice.