JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) 鈥 The Jacksonville Jaguars turned to the Lone Star State to overhaul their secondary, signing Dallas cornerback Jourdan Lewis and Houston safety Eric Murray in free agency in hopes of improving the NFL鈥檚 worst pass defense.
Everything is bigger in Texas? Maybe better, too.
The veterans delivered in a Texas-sized way in on Sunday.
Lewis notched five tackles, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups 鈥 including an interception in the final minute. Murray added seven stops and a quarterback hurry and in the second quarter.
Playing a role in all three of the team鈥檚 takeaways, the duo created much-needed highlights for a unit that ranked last in the league in that category in 2024. Jacksonville’s nine takeaways tied for the fewest in the NFL in any season since San Francisco notched seven in 2018.
鈥淭o get three in one game is probably a good start,鈥 quipped first-time head coach Liam Coen, whose defense will get a tougher test at Cincinnati (1-0) on Sunday.
The Jaguars committed more than $50 million to land Lewis and Murray in March. Lewis, 30, signed a three-year, $30 million contract that included $20 million guaranteed. Murray, 31, signed a three-year, $22.5 million deal that included $12 million guaranteed.
They may have been considered short-term placeholders in the defensive backfield after the Jags drafted receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter with the second overall pick and added safeties Caleb Ransaw (third round) and Rayuan Lane (sixth round) over the next two days.
But in the opener. Ransaw (foot) is out for the season following surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury. And Lane saw action only on special teams.
It was the Lewis and Murray show, and they delivered dazzling debuts.
鈥淲e pride ourselves on getting the ball back and being physical,鈥 Lewis said. 鈥淲e did a really good job getting the ball back. Hopefully those come in bunches. But we have a lot of things to clean up.鈥
What鈥檚 working
Jacksonville鈥檚 offensive line was one of the team鈥檚 unknowns heading into the opener. But the group held its own against Carolina鈥檚 Derrick Brown, A鈥橲hawn Robinson and Turk Wharton. The Jaguars for the first time since 2022 and didn’t allow a sack.
鈥淭he guys up front, the most selfless guys we got, and they just are grinding it out,鈥 quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. 鈥淲e ran it a lot, and they wanted to keep doing it, and they did a great job moving people.鈥
It wasn鈥檛 totally perfect, though. Four of the five O-line starters were flagged for penalties, including two holding calls.
What needs help
Penalties were a problem, hardly a surprise considering it was a trend during camp. The Jags were flagged a dozen times against Carolina, with 11 of those enforced for 93 yards.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e frustrated with some of the penalties that have continued to bite us in the butt,” Coen said. 鈥淭hat’s not something we want to get used to doing by any means. ... We cannot do those things and expect to win.鈥
Stock up
Linebacker Foye Oluokun had 10 tackles, and a forced fumble. The 30-year-old team captain looked rejuvenated in first-time defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile鈥檚 aggressive scheme.
鈥淚 wanted to be a playmaker,鈥 Oluokun said. 鈥淭hey gave me the opportunity to have my eyes back more on the ball, not having to run all over the place with wheel routes and stuff. It鈥檚 really trusting the rush 鈥 and let鈥檚 all go attack the ball.鈥
Stock down
Jaguars receiver Parker Washington, who was the star of training camp, barely made an impact in the opener. He played 17 snaps 鈥 most of them late with Jacksonville trying to milk the clock 鈥 and didn鈥檛 get a target. He also returned one punt for 7 yards.
Injuries
Right tackle Anton Harrison left the game late with a back injury.
Key number
11 鈥 Number of wins by 16 points or more in the seven seasons before Coen鈥檚 arrival.
Next steps
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to keep doing it,” Lawrence said. 鈥淐onsistency is what will be the difference.鈥
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