The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t make many changes in the offseason to upgrade their defense, despite it finishing No. 24 in yards allowed last season.
Instead, much of the improvement for the unit will need to come from the defensive players taken by the team in the 2022 NFL draft — namely, top overall pick Travon Walker and the team’s other first-rounder from last year, Devin Lloyd.
Walker finished his rookie year with only 3.5 sacks and Lloyd saw his snaps cut in the latter half of the season after struggling for a stretch. On Tuesday, Lloyd told reporters that he’s feeling confident that he’ll make a big leap in his second season.
“It’s just great going into the same defense with the same group of guys,” Lloyd said. “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, 24, started the 2022 season on a torrid pace, recording two interceptions, six passes defended, and 24 tackles in his first three games. In the next 14 games, Lloyd was credited with defending only two more passes. His 48.3 grade on Pro Football Focus was among the lowest for any Jaguars player last year.
But the athleticism and potential that made the linebacker a first-round pick have many expecting much better things from Lloyd in 2023. Earlier this offseason, Pro Football Focus picked Lloyd as the biggest breakout candidate on the Jaguars roster.
