Jaguars Demote Rookie Linebacker

The Jacksonville Jaguars got everything they could have dreamed for from their first-round pick linebacker in the early portion of the regular season, but things have apparently taken a turn for the worse. Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters at a Wednesday press conference that linebacker Devin Lloyd would rotate with linebacker Chad Muma for the remainder of the season.

#Jaguars Head coach Doug Pederson says that during the “back third” of the season there will be more of a rotation between rookie LBs Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma.

Says that particularly this week against the Ravens rushing attack, it’ll be important. pic.twitter.com/acNIQSNhYk

— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) November 23, 2022

Lloyd began the season as an every-down starter for the Jags, playing at least 90% of the defensive snaps across his first nine games. He opened the year on an absolute tear, notching 24 total tackles, breaking up six passes, and nabbing two interceptions across his first three starts. However, Lloyd has seen his role reduced the past couple of weeks, totalling only four tackles in two games and playing only 60% of the snaps in the team's Week 10 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Lloyd will apparently see his snaps split with fellow rookie Muma. The 70th overall pick of this year's draft, Muma had played limited snaps before earning a major role in Week 10. His 49.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade doesn't scream out for a player who deserves a lot of playing time, so Lloyd must either be fighting through an undisclosed injury or frustrating Jaguars coaches with mental errors.

Lloyd joined the Jaguars as their 27th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He played four college years at Utah, notching 256 total tackles, 43.0 tackles for loss, and five interceptions over 36 appearances.

Photo Credit: © Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK