Hurricanes make adjustments to defensive depth chart.

CORAL GABLES — With their second scrimmage of camp behind them, the eighth-ranked Hurricanes returned to the practice field Monday morning and began turning their focus to the Sept. 2 season opener against No. 25 LSU.

And as one might expect, there were some adjustments to the depth chart.

Among the notable moves? Veteran defensive end Joe Jackson spent time with the third-string unit during the 15-minute media viewing portion of practice. Jackson, who started 12 of Miami’s 13 games last season, was later seen walking off the practice field with a large brace on his left arm.

Hurricanes defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said the brace was more of a protective measure than anything else and noted that if Jackson — who led Miami’s defensive linemen with 59 tackles last season — was on the practice field, he’d been cleared by the medical staff to be there.

In other words, with less than two weeks to go until the opener, there aren’t necessarily any days off for even the most veteran players.

“If [the training room] tells us they’re good to go, then they get out there and go,” Diaz said. “There’s no one that has the game figured out enough that they don’t need to work and get better.”

Working ahead of Jackson on the defensive line were Scott Patchan and Greg Rousseau. The firststring line, which has undergone significant changes since the end of last season, included end Jonathan Garvin, tackle Gerald Willis, tackle Pat Bethel and Patchan, who earned praise from Diaz after Monday’s practice.

Patchan isn’t the only one taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him while a veteran nurses an injury. With sophomore cornerback Trajan Bandy doing conditioning work during the media viewing portion of practice, senior Jhavonte Dean — who had a pair of interceptions in Saturday’s scrimmage — worked with the Hurricanes’ top unit.

Dean, who had just 11 tackles and broke up one pass in 2017, has, according to Diaz, improved from a season ago, particularly from a strength and coverage standpoint.

Both of those things, Dean said, were focuses for him this offseason.

“This is my last year, so I’m trying to go out the best I can,” Dean said. “I’m gaining the trust of my teammates and go out there and ball every game with my teammates so we can get to that national championship.”

That the Hurricanes are now able to make adjustments while some veterans may be dealing with injuries is a testament to the Hurricanes’ newfound depth at several defensive positions, something the unit hasn’t always had in recent seasons.