Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd: ‘I’ll Be Ready To Go Week 1’
The only person who appears more ready to see Devin Lloyd take the field than Jacksonville Jaguars fans and coaches? Lloyd himself.
Lloyd has spent most of training camp working to the side after sustaining a hamstring injury during conditioning tests ahead of camp. A whole month has gone by with the No. 27 overall pick not being a full participant in practice, missing three preseason games thus far as a result.
But when speaking to Jaguars reporter Ashlyn Sullivan on Wednesday, the first-round linebacker said he will be ready when the Jaguars takes on the Washington Commanders in Week 1 on Sept. 11.
"I'm just building it back up slowly, they're trying to ease me into the practices and limiting my reps but it feels really good," Lloyd said.
"It's strong, it's building its strength back up. It's really sore right now, as expected, but I'll be ready to go Week 1."
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said this week there is a chance Lloyd could play against the Atlanta Falcons in Saturday's preseason game. Lloyd is set to participate in practice with the Falcons this week.
“He’s scheduled to go out there. We’ll see how he is," Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said on Wednesday. "We’ll try to continue to progress him in and see what he can handle. We want to be precautious with him and just see what he can do out there.”
“It’s always good to see him. You saw him a little bit this spring in OTAs, saw what he can do a little bit, but training camp and the season is a little different. The speed picks up a little bit, but he’s doing a good job in the classroom, getting the mental reps, so hopefully it will continue to carry over.”
Lloyd, a former safety, appeared in 47 games and started 32 for Utah after redshirting his freshman season. After collecting six tackles as a backup in 2018, Lloyd became a full-time starter in 2019. He earned honorable mention All-Pac 12 in 2019 after leading the team with 91 tackles, along with 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and one interception.
Lloyd was named a first-team All-Pac 12 member in 2020 as he started five games. The Utah team captain recorded 48 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble, leading the team in tackles and tackles for loss.
Lloyd started 13 more games in 2021, being named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Pac 12 as he recorded 110 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 10 pass deflections and four interceptions.
"The talent that you saw coming out of college— athleticism, speed, length—he’ll hopefully be able to go out there and just make plays for us," Caldwell said.
"He has a unique ability to be able to cover and also pressure the quarterback. We like that about him, and with his length and all the tackles he made in college, you know he can play the run, so we just want to continue to see him go out there and find his niche and make plays for us.”
