The Jacksonville traded for Greg Newsome from the Cleveland Browns in return for Tyson Campbell because they believed the former could give their cornerback group a boost. While the Browns are already reaping the rewards of the swap, the Jags are still waiting.
But in light of the latest Travis Hunter injury update, the Jaguars will need Newsome to step up right away.
The Jaguars will need Greg Newsome to step up in light of the Travis Hunter news
Just before the Raiders game, head coach Liam Coen announced that the Jaguars are placing Travis Hunter on Injury Reserve after suffering a knee injury in practice. This means he'll have to sit out at least four games. During his absence, Jacksonville will need to replace him at both receiver and corner.
It was a non-contact knee injury for Hunter and the team is still assessing what a timeline for his recovery will be. https://t.co/JHKrrU5lhO
— Kainani Stevens (@KainaniStevens) October 31, 2025
At receiver, the Jaguars will need the trio of Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Dyami Brown to come through. On defense, it will be Greg Newsome who'll be tasked with stepping up in Hunter's place, with Montaric Brown lining up on the opposite side of the boundaries and Jourdan Lewis manning the slot full-time.
Newsome, in particular, will need to play better than he did in his debut with Jacksonville. In the loss to the Los Angeles Rams, he gave up a touchdown on his very first snap. Coen is confident that he'll take that step, noting that the two recently had a chat. Below's the skinny.
"Had a great talk with Greg yesterday, actually, pre-practice," Coen responded when asked if Newsome has earned more playing time (3:00 mark). "Man, he just feels so much more comfortable with the calls, the communication in the back end with those guys, the comfort level of playing in the system a little bit longer, man, he's he definitely has a lot of confidence right now.
Coen continued, "And I was like, man, just 'Hey now that you feel that way. I mean, everybody knows it's hard to just step in and play at any position, but especially back there, where it's got to be the goldfish mentality of the next play and keep rolling.' Got a lot of confidence in Greg right now. I think he's going to continue to ascend."
Newsome, a first-round pick in 2022, has appeared in 61 games with 48 snaps and registered three interceptions and 37 passes defensed. While he routinely showed playmaking skills, he was phased out in favor or Martin Emerson Jr.
The Jaguars traded for Greg Newsome for a reason
Teams need to always be prepared for injuries. In the Jaguars' case, they have the depth to withstand Travis Hunter's absence on defense. If Greg Newsome does bounce back and hits his stride against the Las Vegas Raiders, they'll be in good shape.
The good news is that Newsome was a first-round selection for a reason, and if the Jaguars weren't confident he can deliver, they wouldn't have traded for him.
With Hunter expected to miss at least four games during his stay on IR, Greg Newsome suddenly has a great opportunity to validate the Jaguars' decision.