Tag: Montaric Brown

Pederson talks Jaguars ascending CBs Montaric Brown, De’Antre Prince

Pederson talks Jaguars ascending CBs Montaric Brown, De’Antre Prince

Often a spot-starter over his first three seasons with the team, Jaguars cornerback Montaric “Buster” Brown has seized a first-team role in Jacksonville’s defense as the 2024 regular season nears its close.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson confirmed Monday that Brown had succeeded veteran Ronald Darby to start at cornerback opposite Tyson Campbell moving forward, crediting Jacksonville’s 2022 seventh-round NFL draft pick for his development and performances when asked to step up.

Brown has started seven games this season, five while Campbell was on Jacksonville’s injured reserve in Weeks 2-6, and in the Jaguars’ last two matchups over a healthy Darby. Brown has logged 46 total tackles with five for loss, one interception and seven defended passes in 14 appearances total.

Despite his previous status as a backup, Brown frequently played in rotation with Campbell and Darby earlier this season. His 691 defensive snaps this year rank No. 5 on the team.

“A guy that’s worked hard, was kind of thrust into action and has really embraced it,” Pederson described Brown on Friday.

“He’s another one that, I think, elevated his game. But again, it just doesn’t happen. Buster works at it. He works at it hard in practice and he’s hard on himself. He’s coachable, and that’s what’s made him a really good player for us.”

Brown had previously started seven games with the Jaguars, largely while Campbell battled multiple injuries in 2023. He exceeded expectations as a former late-round draft pick, entering the campaign with 40 tackles and four pass breakups in 20 career games.

He has taken another step forward with further opportunities this season. Per Pro Football Focus, through Week 15, Brown’s 67.2% coverage completion rate, 10.5 yards per reception allowed and 96.5 passer rating against are all career bests, to pair with his increased box score production.

Brown’s coverage completion percentage drops to 65.2% in games he has started this year.

“I think he just is going to continue to learn, continue to grow, continue to get better. That’s a good sign for a young player,” Pederson added.

Pederson believes Brown’s emergence provides a “great example” for another young member of Jacksonville’s secondary, rookie cornerback De’Antre Prince, who also is slated for an uptick in defensive snaps after Darby’s benching.

Jacksonville’s fifth-round, No. 153 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft, Prince has appeared in eight games this season but with a larger snap share on special teams (11%) than defense (7%). He has recorded two tackles.

“I think it’s going to be great for him,” Pederson said of Prince. “Regardless of the number of snaps, hopefully, in the next couple of games, he gets quite a few, and it gives us an insight into the type of player and to who Tre is. He works obviously hard at practice, and it’s an opportunity to go play.

“It gives the player a lot of confidence if he can go out and play, play well and do some good things. For us too, it gives us, again, that insight to how can this player help us, in Tre’s case, in the future, and where can we use him on defense. These next few weeks, a lot of our young players, it’s just that — a great opportunity for them.”

Doug Pederson addresses Jaguars benching CB Ronald Darby

Doug Pederson addresses Jaguars benching CB Ronald Darby

Jaguars cornerback Ronald Darby was removed from Jacksonville’s starting lineup in Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans and did not take the field despite being active in Week 15 against the New York Jets.

Darby, who signed a two-year, $8.5 million free agent contract with Jacksonville in March and started the first 12 games of the season, was benched in favor of third-year Jaguars cornerback Montaric ‘Buster’ Brown for the rest of the year, head coach Doug Pederson revealed Monday.

Noting the move was not disciplinary, Pederson praised Brown for his performance this season, in rotation and at times in relief of starting cornerback Tyson Campbell, who has battled hamstring and shoulder injuries.

“I just think Buster’s been playing well, and really just giving him an opportunity right now,” Pederson said.

Pederson also hopes to play Jaguars fifth-round rookie cornerback De’Antre Prince, who has appeared in eight games but primarily on special teams, more often defensively by making the switch.

“Moving forward I think with the last three games, I think you’ll see Buster and hopefully get a chance to see Tre Prince and see where he’s at, as well,” said Pederson. “But yeah, Buster’s been playing really well.”

Brown has logged 63 total tackles including five for loss, his first NFL interception and seven defended passes in 14 games and seven starts this season. He has recorded 103 tackles and 11 defended passes in 34 career appearances.

A 10th-year pro, Darby previously played for Pederson with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2017-19. While productive in his time with the Eagles, recording six interceptions, Darby was dealt a string of significant injuries, a torn ACL, a dislocated ankle, and hamstring and hip strains.

After a second ACL tear, with the Denver Broncos in 2022, Darby joined Baltimore to fill spot-starting and rotational roles in the Ravens’ secondary. He experienced a career resurgence, breaking up nine passes, his most since 2020, in 18 games including the postseason.

Darby took over the starting role vacated by Jacksonville releasing Darious Williams in March, at outside cornerback under first-year Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

“I just go out there and work,” Darby told Jaguars Wire in a July interview. “You know, this [is] Year 10 for me. Like, I’ve been making plays. You don’t make it to Year 10 not being able to play. So I just go out there and do what I gotta do, like I do all the time.”

Darby posted 46 total tackles with three for loss and nine defended passes through Week 14, bringing his career totals to 447 tackles with 12 for loss, eight interceptions, 106 defended passes and one forced fumble over 118 games and 107 starts.

Darby ranks No. 7 among Jaguars defenders with 659 defensive snaps logged this season. He took the field for 17 plays against the Titans in Week 14, his first game out of the starting lineup.

All-22 review: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts

All-22 review: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts

The Jacksonville Jaguars enter their London road trip with one tick in the win column for the first time since last season, following their 37-34 victory over Indianapolis. 

It was a feel-good victory for a franchise that needed it and saw its offense play its best football of the season. While there were still some inconsistencies with the offensive play-calling and decision-making by the coaching staff, the Jaguars should feel good as they make the trip overseas.

This week, Jaguars Wire takes a closer look at the All-22 to explore some of the standouts from Sunday’s triumph. Let’s take a deeper dive into the game film.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence’s big day

Two games ago, talk began of whether the Jaguars were right to extend Lawrence following a string of games where the former No. 1 draft selection looked lost and broken as a passer. After one game against the lowly Colts defense, that narrative has quieted significantly.

Lawrence was excellent in Sunday’s victory, completing 28-of-34 passes for 371 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His completion percentage over expected was 10.3 percent along with a 10.8 EPA. The film matches the box score and analytics and it was exciting to watch.

The former Clemson Tiger standout did an excellent job spreading the ball around, including passes to nine different receivers. His offensive line also gave him opportunities to keep himself and the offense on schedule, allowing him to get the ball out with efficiency.

Throughout the game, Lawrence made the correct reads and had great full-field progressions on longer-developing plays. He was accurate and on time with his passes, fitting passes into tight windows and trusting his reads and progressions. Lawrence was able to make the big throws when they were available, including two big completions to wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Christian Kirk.

While Lawrence was excellent, he wasn’t perfect, as seen by his interception. Midway into the third quarter on a second-and-intermediate, the Jaguars came out of empty against the Colts’ Cover 4. Instead of taking the open outlets to Kirk in the middle of the field or tight end Brenton Strange underneath off the left tackle, Lawrence chose to test the field vertically and it cost him with a throw into double coverage.

Overall, though, Lawrence must continue stacking performances close to this each week. It will allow him to gain more confidence as a passer while helping his team rack up more wins. 

Key Jaguars defensive performances

While defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen gave up 34 points and nearly 450 total yards, there were still plenty of standouts from this defense despite a rough day.

Cornerback Montaric Brown had a solid day, despite some big plays given up, he never seemed out of position overall. He’s a physical tackler in the run game and is generally a solid press-man corner who displays adequate one and two-hand jams at the line of scrimmage.

Brown will play with physicality in the five-yard contact window and use that to his advantage. He also flashes a patient backpedal that will allow him to mirror receivers more consistently.

In the trenches, pass rusher Travon Walker had an exceptional day with three sacks and three tackles for loss. His speed-to-power was freakish and makes a handful for any opposing offensive tackle. His rare get-off and athleticism will overwhelm them and that was the case on numerous pressures and a couple of his sacks. 

The scary thing about Walker is that he has added more rush combinations that make him a better player. If he continues to take over games like he did Sunday, the rest of the league will begin to take notice of an edge rusher who is on his way to being one of the best in the game. 

Second-year linebacker Ventrell Miller was steady against the Colts with seven tackles while displaying a level of competency in coverage drops. He’s also a physical tackler and doesn’t see ball carrier break his tackles often. 

Miller showed straight-line explosiveness to close through the alley and make tackles for short gains, proving Sunday that he could be in store for more playing time as the linebacker room gets healthy.

Young skill players showed out with explosive games

When Jacksonville drafted Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round this offseason, he offered the ceiling to be a top vertical threat in the NFL in a short time while having plenty of room to grow as a playmaker.

Sunday was the day Thomas finally made a significant impact where defenses had to respect his vertical ability. On his 85-yard touchdown reception, the former LSU standout reached a top speed of 22.15 mph, the fastest by a ball carrier this season and by a Jaguars player in the Next Gen Stats era. 

Thomas continued to show progression as a receiver with separation underneath on short in and out-breaking routes. While he did get free vertically on his long touchdown due to blown coverage, his speed was a sight to see as he zoomed away from the Colts secondary.

As it’s been known for some time, Thomas is great with separation on vertical planes, using the threat of speed to create it. He is still learning, yet progressing, finding spots against empty zone areas while making himself a potential outlet for Lawrence in run-after-catch opportunities.

Second-year running back Tank Bigsby had his breakout game against the Colts, displaying a possible idea of him taking over as the bell-cow ball carrier on Jacksonville’s offense. Bigsby showed quick and choppy footwork that allowed him to work the base of the line of scrimmage and find creases outside the tackle box. 

Bigsby is a shifty runner with adequate contact balance and explosive second-level acceleration. What may come as a surprise is that he leads the NFL in yards after contact per attempt at 5.1, according to Next Gen stats. This is an example of the Jaguars having explosive elements on their offense but not being able to put them in places to succeed consistently within the unit. 

The former Auburn running back is still growing more than a quarter of the way through his second season. His ceiling remains high and big reason why he could find his way as the team’s RB1 by next year. 

Studs and duds in Jaguars’ 23-7 loss vs. Ravens

Which Jaguars players stood out most to you Sunday night?

The Jacksonville Jaguars fell to 8-6 on Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens handed them a third consecutive loss.

It was an all too familiar formula that doomed the Jaguars in the 23-7 loss. Despite finding 333 yards of offense, Jacksonville’s only points came on one 65-yard touchdown.

The Jaguars drove inside the Ravens’ 40-yard line five times and the red zone three times, but somehow finished with zero points to show for it. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence fumbled away one of those possessions, made a crucial error that ran out the clock on another, and turned the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter. The other two were missed field goals.

Jacksonville had its opportunities and simply didn’t come nearly close enough to capitalizing on them. Here are the players who struggled most Sunday as well as those who stood out in the losing effort:

Tyson Campbell ‘glad to be back,’ expects to play Monday vs. Bengals

Tyson Campbell says his hamstring injury is behind him and he’s excited to play Monday against the Bengals.

Head coach Doug Pederson said the Jacksonville Jaguars will wait a little longer to decide if Tyson Campbell plays Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. The third-year cornerback doesn’t have much doubt, though.

“I’m feeling good, glad to be back and help my team get a win,” Campbell said Saturday. “First Monday Night Football game, it’s going to be a fun atmosphere to play in, so I’m pretty excited.”

Campbell, 23, missed two games with a hamstring injury, and then sat out another two games after re-injuring his hamstring in his first game back. On Saturday, he said that he didn’t feel like he rushed back too early for the Jaguars’ Week 10 game against the San Francisco 49ers.

“I felt good coming into that game and God put me back, sat me down for a couple more weeks,” Campbell said. “I’m feeling good, that’s behind me, I’m feeling stronger.”

Fortunately for Jacksonville and Campbell, he was afforded the luxury of patiently getting back to 100 percent because Montaric “Buster” Brown played well as the starter in Campbell’s place.

“Buster’s an amazing corner,” Campbell said. “The team didn’t miss a beat. He stepped up to the stage and made plays like we know he’s capable of doing, so I wasn’t surprised.”

Campbell faces a tough challenge Monday when he’ll line up across from the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Cincinnati will be without starting quarterback Joe Burrow, though, and has been forced to turn to Jake Browning to lead the way.

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Studs and duds in the Jaguars’ 20-10 win vs. Steelers

Who stood out most in the Jaguars’ fifth straight win?

The Jacksonville Jaguars turned the ball over three times and failed to score a touchdown on three trips to the red zone, yet still managed to pick up a fifth straight win Sunday.

With a 20-10 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jaguars are rolling into a much-needed Week 9 bye with a 6-2 record, a hefty lead in the AFC South, and a share of first place in the AFC.

Not much is going wrong in Duval, but the Jaguars aren’t quite blowing out teams either. Against a Steelers team that went three-and-out on its first four possessions and turned the ball over on its last three, why was the game in contention so long?

The positives certainly outweigh the negatives for the Jaguars, but the latter isn’t non-existent. Here’s who stood out most in the team’s Week 8 win at Acrisure Stadium:

Montaric Brown answered the call when the Jaguars needed it

Montaric “Buster” Brown made plays in big moments in his first start of the year.

Montaric “Buster” Brown was on the field for one defensive snap in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first five games. But he was tossed into action in Week 6 when cornerback Tyson Campbell pulled up grabbing at his hamstring against the Indianapolis Colts.

After that game, Brown said “[when] my number gets called, I gotta step up.” On Thursday night, he stepped up.

Against a New Orleans Saints offense with three-time Pro Bowler Michael Thomas and 2022 first-round pick Chris Olave at wide receiver, Brown didn’t look like an inexperienced liability. Instead, the second-year cornerback was credited with allowing only four receptions on 10 targets.

When the Saints had one play left to tie or win the game in the final minute, quarterback Derek Carr looked to Olave to beat Brown one-on-one. The Jaguars 2022 seventh round pick shut the play down.

“I was expecting the fade the whole time,” Brown said in the locker room after the win. “They kept trying it, I wasn’t thinking about nothing inside. It was the fade. And they threw it. I was expecting it the whole time.”

It wasn’t a perfect performance from Brown, who missed a couple tackles in space. But it was a showing that earned him compliments from coaches and teammates after the game.

“We were missing Tyson Campbell, so it’s next man up, and Buster’s the next man,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. “He’s worked hard to put himself in this position. He works hard in practice.

“It’s not always going to be perfect or pretty or all of that, but you know what? He made plays when he needed to, and that’s the most important thing. Really proud of the way he played today.”

“He’s only in his second year, so he’s still growing,” Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins said. “He’s still got way more room to grow, but man, way to start off in his first start. Man, hats off to Buster with that ‘next man up mentality’ and doing what he had to do to get the job done.”

The Jaguars haven’t provided a timetable for Campbell’s injury. The third-year cornerback was listed as a non-participant in the team’s week worth of practices and was officially ruled out Wednesday.

If Campbell isn’t ready to play in Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jaguars have reason to feel like they have a competent replacement on the outside in Brown.

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Montaric Brown: ‘My number gets called, I gotta step up’

The Jaguars are relying on Montaric “Buster” Brown to take the reins at cornerback in Tyson Campbell’s absence.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars’ top cornerback Tyson Campbell pulled up grabbing his hamstring on an Indianapolis Colts punt in Week 6, it was second-year cornerback Montaric “Buster” Brown who was thrust into the lineup for the rest of the game.

Now Campbell is expected to miss Week 7 and potentially more time after that. On Tuesday, Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell made it clear that it’ll be Brown starting in his place against the New Orleans Saints, and said that the team won’t be doing much else to compensate for the loss of Campbell.

“If you move too many people around, you’re moving too many people around,” Caldwell said. “Just put one guy in and that’s what they’re here for. We saw what [Brown] did in the offseason and what he did in training camp. He deserves to be here and gets the opportunity to go out there and play.”

Brown, a seventh round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, played 63 defensive snaps during his rookie season. After playing only one snap through the first five weeks of the 2023 season, Brown was on the field for 54 snaps Sunday against the Colts.

“I feel like it went alright,” Brown said of his performance in relief of Campbell in the locker room after the win. “I could’ve did some things better, but my number gets called, I gotta step up. Unexpected that Tyson went down so when my number got called, I had to step up and do what I had to do.”

Caldwell gave a similar assessment of Brown’s showing against the Colts, although he thought communication in the secondary, as a whole, was lacking at times Sunday.

“I thought he did good. He tackled well, he was in coverage, and communication is something that’s not just him, it’s everybody that we have to get better at,” Caldwell said. “It’s just an area where we’ll get the calls to him and let him understand the technique he’s playing. He did a decent job.”

With just a few days to prepare for his first start of the season, Brown is feeling confident that a year’s worth of development in Caldwell’s defense has him ready to go Thursday.

“I’m very much a different player [than last year],” Brown said. “I’m playing faster, I’m seeing what the offense is trying to do and I took a lot in last year, so it’s definitely helped me and I’m better this year.”

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5 Jaguars players to watch vs. the Saints in Week 7

Here are five Jaguars players to watch as they take on the Saints on Thursday:

The Jacksonville Jaguars are riding a win streak, but the same can’t be said about their Week 7 opponent.

Jacksonville has won three straight, but the New Orleans Saints have lost three of their last four games. The Saints have a handful of impactful players, but the Jaguars roster seems to have more talent, and they’ve hit a groove.

Jacksonville’s players are stepping it up and the team has seen vast improvements during a three-game win streak against the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts.

Here are five Jaguars players to watch in their Week 7 game against the Saints:

Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell expected to miss Week 7 vs. Saints

Doug Pederson doesn’t expect Tyson Campbell to be ready to play Thursday against the Saints.

The hamstring injury suffered by Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell will likely keep him out of a Week 7 game against the New Orleans Saints, head coach Doug Pederson said Monday.

“Right now, with the hamstring, on a short week, chances are he’s out for this game,” Pederson said of Campbell. “We’ll just keep monitoring that, but with hamstrings, they can be a little finicky. So we’ll see, but right now, it’s trending that way.”

Campbell, 23, pulled up grabbing him hamstring on an Indianapolis Colts punt Sunday. While the team’s No. 1 cornerback doesn’t typically play on special teams, the Jaguars left the majority of their starting defense on the field for a fourth-and-short situation to defend against the possibility of Indianapolis looking to convert for a first down.

In the remainder of the game, the Jaguars relied on second-year cornerback Montaric “Buster” Brown who appears in line to start Thursday against the Saints.

The Jaguars also have three cornerbacks — Tevaughn Campbell, sixth-round rookie Erick Hallett, and newly added Amari Oruwariye — on the practice squad.

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