Tag: Devin Lloyd

Zay Jones out, Jamal Agnew a ‘game-time decision’ vs. Falcons

The Jaguars ruled out three players and listed three as questionable for Week 4.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ruled out three players for a Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons and listed three as questionable.

Zay Jones, Devin Lloyd, and Antonio Johnson will all miss the contest, but wide receiver Jamal Agnew will be the one most under the microscope. The return specialist popped up on the injury report Thursday and his status for Sunday is up in the air.

On Friday, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters that Agnew will be a game-time decision, although he added the team is optimistic the receiver will be able to play.

With Jones out of action in Week 3, the team elevated Jacob Harris from the practice squad to the active roster and targeted Tim Jones more often in the passing game. The team also has rookies Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks on the roster, but kept them as healthy inactives in each of the first three weeks.

There doesn’t appear to be much concern about the availability of the other two questionable players, Foley Fatukasi and Anton Harrison.

For the Falcons, wide receiver Josh Ali is out and running back/wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is questionable. Both players have yet to appear in a game this season. Patterson led the Falcons in touchdowns during the 2022 season.

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Jaguars trusting Chad Muma to step up as a starting linebacker

The Jaguars will rely on Chad Muma to take over as a starter with Devin Lloyd out due to hand surgery.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without 2022 first-round pick Devin Lloyd for a stretch after the second-year linebacker underwent hand surgery Wednesday. Now 2022 third-round selection Chad Muma is set to take over in the starting lineup.

“He’s been ready,” Jaguars linebacker and defensive team captain Foye Oluokun said of Muma. “He’s a good guy, really a student of the game. Always ready to own his role. Good communication so far during the week, we’ve all got trust in him and he fits right into whatever role we put him in.”

Muma, 24, made starts in two games during his rookie season when coaches decided to temporarily bench Lloyd. The Jaguars’ other rookie linebacker didn’t fare much better and the two finished the 2022 season with similar grades on Pro Football Focus.

A year later, Muma says he’s much more prepared to be an impact player.

“Any time you’re in year two of the NFL, I feel like there’s so much growth and development into it,” Muma said in the locker room Wednesday. “Especially being year two of the same defense, you’re able to make communication faster in the field, diagnose plays quicker. So I’m definitely feeling much more comfortable at this time compared to I was last year.”

That growth wasn’t particularly evident Sunday against the Houston Texans, though. Muma was on the field for 19 defensive snaps in relief of Lloyd, who was in and out of the lineup while dealing with his thumb injury. Muma was credited with a missed tackle and with allowing receiver Nico Collins to break free for a 29-yard gain just before halftime to set up a short Texans field goal.

Muma said Wednesday that his stint on the field Sunday was instructive for how he should prepare for his first start since last December.

“There’s definitely aspects that I was able to look at in the film room and work on today during practice,” Muma said. “I’m just looking forward to this game and getting after it.

“It’s unfortunate what happened with Devin. I’m praying for him, hoping for a speedy recovery for him. But when it comes down to it, I’m excited for the opportunity. Ready to step up, the preparation doesn’t change. I’m just ready to be out there with the guys on defense, get their back, they got my back, get ready to run around.”

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Devin Lloyd undergoes hand surgery, will miss London games

The Jaguars will turn to Chad Muma with Devin Lloyd out of action for at least two weeks.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd will miss at least two games after undergoing surgery on his hand, head coach Doug Pederson said in a press conference Wednesday.

Lloyd, 24, was in and out of the defensive lineup Sunday after suffering his injury early in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Houston Texans. During the times Lloyd was on the sideline, he was replaced in the game by fellow second-year linebacker Chad Muma. Lloyd played 75 percent of the defensive snaps and Muma was on the field for 34 percent.

After getting a couple screws put into his thumb, Lloyd will not make the trip to London where the Jaguars will play Week 4 and 5 games against the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills, respectively.

Muma, a third round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, will step into the starting lineup in Lloyd’s place. Pederson also said that Lloyd may be available to return as early as Week 6 when the Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts.

Through the first three weeks of the season, Lloyd is tied for third on the team in tackles with 19 and he’s added one fumble recovery and three passes defended.

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Jaguars defense not satisfied with first 2 weeks, says Foye Oluokun

The Jaguars defense has impressed through the first two weeks, but Foye Oluokun isn’t hanging his hat on the performances.

The Jacksonville Jaguars offense was expected to blow teams away in 2023, but two games into the season, it’s the defense that has led the way. After forcing three turnovers and holding the Indianapolis Colts to 280 yards, the Jaguars held the scary Kansas City Chiefs offense to 17 points in Week 2.

It’s an encouraging start for the Jaguars defense, but linebacker Foye Oluokun isn’t ready to take a victory lap.

“As soon as you relax, somebody will go for 500 [yards] on you,” Oluokun said Thursday. “It’s week in, week out consistency trying to be the best, trying to get to where we want to be. Every week you put something good on tape, somebody is going to come to combat it. You can never say ‘I’m close,’ you’ve always got to be striving to beat it.

“Last year, we saw whatever our rankings were and all them things — we’re trying to be one of the best defenses in the league this year. You can’t get complacent if you want to be one of the best. You’ve got to be dominant day in and day out. Whatever happened last week, you have a whole new task in hand this week.”

The Jaguars finished the 2022 season allowing 20.6 points and 353.3 yards per game. Two weeks into this season, those averages are down to 19 points and 339.5 yards. While it’s not a massive difference, it’s better than expected with a matchup against the Chiefs already in the books.

Still, Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd joined Oluokun in saying it hasn’t been enough.

“We wanted to do more last week,” Lloyd said. “Just get one more turnover, just whatever. What we say is ‘If they don’t score, they don’t win.’ Worst case scenario it’s a tie. So as a defense, it doesn’t matter how we perform if we don’t win the game.

“Defensively, we’re doing a lot of good things. We’re getting off the field on third down, we’re playing good ball. But obviously there’s always room for improvement.”

Up next are the Houston Texans, who scored 16 points in two games against the Jaguars in 2022.

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Jaguars PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. Colts

Pro Football Focus was impressed with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars’ offensive playmakers. The offensive line? Not so much.

The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off their 2023 season with a win Sunday, beating the Indianapolis Colts, 31-21.

The 10-point Week 1 victory didn’t come easy, though. The Colts took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter and the Jaguars needed a couple touchdowns late in the game to snatch away the victory.

At Pro Football Focus, every Jaguars player was graded for their effort in the game against the Colts.

Here are the Jaguars players who stood out and struggled most on Sunday, according to PFF:

5 Jaguars players to watch vs. the Colts in Week 1

The Jaguars’ season kicks off against the Colts Sunday. Here are five Jaguars to watch in the season-opening game:

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to take on the Indianapolis Colts in their first regular season game of the 2023 season Sunday.

Jacksonville is coming off a 9-8 record and a playoff berth last year. Indianapolis, on the other hand, went 4-12-1 and earned the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Both teams are debuting players added in the offseason. Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley and Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will both see their first regular season matchups in their new jerseys.

Here are five Jaguars players to watch in their season-opening tilt with the Colts:

5 Jaguars players to watch in preseason finale vs. Dolphins

Which Jaguars player will you be keeping a close eye on during the team’s preseason finale against the Dolphins?

The Jacksonville Jaguars will try to wrap up their preseason slate with an undefeated record on Saturday night when they host the Miami Dolphins.

While the Jaguars are suddenly dealing with a rash of injuries, head coach Doug Pederson is “still full steam ahead” on his plan to play the team’s starters for the entire first half.

With Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr., Calvin Ridley, and co. getting a full half of play against the Dolphins, who should Jaguars fans be keeping a close eye on Saturday?

Here are five Jaguars players to watch closely against Miami:

Jaguars 2023 roster review: LB Devin Lloyd

Jaguars first-rounder Devin Lloyd started strong as a rookie, but struggled to sustain his early success in 2022.

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is still off on the horizon. Join us in the NFL’s dead zone with a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

First-round pick Devin Lloyd looked well on his way to stardom with the Jacksonville Jaguars after his first few NFL games. Despite missing much of training camp with a hamstring injury, the rookie linebacker racked up two interceptions and six passes defended through his first three games.

Lloyd had a hard time sustaining that success, though. After failing to make much of an impact for a stretch, he spent time on the sideline while fellow rookie Chad Muma stepped into the starting lineup.

This offseason, Lloyd is excited to show off the improvements he’s made during his first proper NFL offseason. He’s acknowledged that he wasn’t physically ready for the rigors of a 17-game schedule.

If a year’s worth of growth results in the Jaguars getting the player who exploded out of the gates in 2022, they may have something special on their hands.

Contract (2023): $1,293,028 base salary, $1,647,110 prorated signing bonus, $2,940,138 cap hit.

Acquired: Jaguars drafted Lloyd with the No. 27 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

PFF grades: 

  • 48.3 (2022)

Statistics:

  • Three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, 115 tackles (2022)

Highlight:

Quote: “It’s just great going into the same defense with the same group of guys. Really, it’s nothing but progression already, but I think for me personally, I have a standard that just wasn’t set last year so I’m really excited with that extra motivation to come out and prove that this year to myself.” – Lloyd

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Leonard Taylor (No. 49)
Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50) Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55)
Yasir Abdullah (No. 56) Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64)
Chandler Brewer (No. 67) Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73)
Cam Robinson (No. 74) Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79)
Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80) Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87)
Oliver Martin (No. 88) Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94)
Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95) Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Nick Thurman (No. 97) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus
Jacob Harris

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Devin Lloyd: ‘My body wasn’t up to the task’ in 2022

Devin Lloyd says he’s better prepared for the rigors of an NFL schedule after hitting a rookie wall in 2022.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd began his rookie year with two interceptions and six passes defended through his first three games, which earned him NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors in September. Then he hit a wall.

The 2022 first-round pick struggled to make much of an impact through the remainder of the season and was benched for a stretch to make way for rookie third-rounder Chad Muma to get starting reps.

“From my perspective, my body just wasn’t really up for the task,” Lloyd told 1010XL’s Hays Carlyon after a minicamp practice Wednesday. “I thought it was, but it wasn’t and in that, it started off with the body and it shifted to the mind. Just really letting the negative things that people say about me get to me.

“But that’s welcome to the NFL. I will be so much more prepared understanding now what to expect.”

Prior to his NFL career, Lloyd was a three-year starter with the Utah Utes, earning consensus All-American honors as a senior. Despite playing in 47 college football games, including 14 in his last year, Lloyd said it doesn’t compare to the rigors of an NFL season.

“It was just a long year,” Lloyd to Carlyon. “Coming from 14 games in college, but those games are spread out, to the NFL, which is back-to-back-to-back-to-back of the best-of-the-best competition. It’s a lot on your body. It’s a lot on your mind.”

Earlier this offseason, Lloyd said on The Jim Rome Show that his time away from football in recent months has allowed him to “master the defense” as he heads into his second NFL season. Perhaps more importantly, it has given the linebacker the time to better prepare for the Jaguars’ 17-game schedule.

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Devin Lloyd: Offseason gave me ‘a chance to master the defense’

Devin Lloyd says a little time away from the football field has done him a lot of good.

A little time away from football has gone a long way for Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd.

His chaotic 2022 began with the Utah Utes playing in the Rose Bowl and was followed by lengthy prep for the NFL draft. After joining the Jaguars, Lloyd was thrown into the fire as a Week 1 starter despite missing much of training camp with a hamstring injury. Now, with one NFL season under his belt, Lloyd has finally had a chance to take a break.

“Last year, it was a lot of firsts,” Lloyd said Thursday on The Jim Rome Show. “Just understanding what it’s like now — what the culture is like and the environment and what to expect coming in the fall — I really do see a night and day difference.

“There’s more anticipation as opposed to reaction. Really just understanding the defense now that we’ve had time away from ball, we’re not scheming or anything like that. So really I had a chance to just master the defense and know how to play within the scheme.”

Lloyd, 24, started his career with two interceptions and six passes defended through his first three games. But his effectiveness waned as the season went on and Lloyd was eventually benched in favor of third-round rookie linebacker Chad Muma.

The Jaguars finished the 2022 season No. 24 in total yards allowed and No. 28 against the pass. After not making many changes in the offseason to the defense, Jacksonville is largely relying on the progress made by Lloyd and fellow 2022 first-rounder Travon Walker. According to Lloyd, that progress is coming in leaps and bounds.

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