The Area of Jaguars' Defense Set to Be Most Impacted by Losing Devin Lloyd

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars will likely look a lot different in just a week.

The NFL free agency window will fly open next week, with the legal tampering period beginning at noon on March 9. The Jaguars have some key pieces set to hit free agency, including linebacker Devin Lloyd and Travis Etienne, and it is looking more and more like each will hit the market.

In the event the Jaguars lose Lloyd, they will be without a second-team All-Pro who just had the best season of his career. But diving deep into the season he had, and it is clear there is one key trait of his the Jaguars would miss the most.

Lloyd's Blitzing

devin lloy — Jan 11, 2026; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) runs on the field before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Buffalo Bills at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Pro Football Focus recently took a look at the five best blitzers in football from the 2025 season, and Lloyd found himself all the way at No. 1.

"Lloyd finished the season with the third-most pressures of any linebacker, but the two players listed ahead of him moonlighted as edge defenders and rushed the passer almost twice as often. Lloyd finished off his season with three pressures on five blitzing snaps against Josh Allen in the wild-card round, improving his already-strong pressure rate up to 27.2% for the season," PFF said. "If you were to make a case against Lloyd being the best blitzer in football, you could point to the fact that he registered just one sack on his 103 pass-rushing snaps.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) enters the stadium before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"However, Lloyd still impacted the psyche of his opposition, scoring nine quarterback hits — the most of any NFL player not on the defensive line. As good as Lloyd was as a pass-rusher, he graded out even better as a run defender, and his coverage grade remained pretty impressive, thanks to five total interceptions. Lloyd closed out the season with PFF’s second-highest overall grade among eligible linebackers behind Detroit Lions’ Jack Campbell."

That right there is really the crux of what the Jaguars are set to lose if Lloyd hits free agency next week. He is a unique talent at the linebacker position thanks to his athletic traits and versatility, giving the Jaguars a weapon who could be deployed on base downs as a run defender and then on passing downs either in coverage of as a blitzer.

Linebackers like Lloyd do not come around often. He was a true match for the scheme, which unlocked the traits that made him a star at Utah and then made him a first-round pick in 2022. Lloyd flashed those talents early in his career, but it wasn't until 2025 that it all came together. Now that it did, it is clear that there is no easy replacement for Lloyd. There might not even be a direct one.

Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile used Lloyd in the perfect fashion, and Campanile himself has detailed how rare Lloyd is -- and why it will now be a challenge to replicate or replace his skill-set.

Jul 25, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) participates in training camp at Miller Electric Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

“Yeah, Dev’s a big part of everything we were able to do early in the year because when I was talking about him in the past, there was more—I think Devin really is just capable of doing a lot of things, whether it's the pass coverage, the pass rush, playing in the box as a linebacker and then playing on the ball is really just a unique skillset set that way," Campanile said during the season.

"So, it gives us a little bit more in terms of options, things that you can do. And he definitely presents some problems for the offense, for sure.”

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