Jacksonville Jaguars rookie linebacker Chad Muma hasn’t played much on defense through two games with Foye Oluokun and Devin Lloyd ahead of him on the depth chart, but special teams coordinator Heath Farwell hasn’t minded.
“Chad played unbelievable,” Farwell said Thursday of Muma’s contributions on special teams in Week 2. “You guys saw the tackles, but it was the physicality that was impressive of just getting off blocks, running his feet, just physical play.
“I challenged our guys, ‘Let’s play just as fast as them or match that,’ and our guys battled. They played hard, and he was a big part of it. He played physical, played fast, so he played unbelievable. That was impressive.”
Muma, 23, was the Jaguars’ third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and made a push for a starting role on defense while Lloyd was out of action for much of August. But the Jaguars’ second of two first-round picks eventually earned a starting spot and has excelled early.
While that hasn’t left room for Muma to contribute much on defense, Farwell says it’s only a matter of time before he’s no longer a help on special teams.
“Early in training camp, we saw the signs of, ‘This guy is going to be a really good special teamer,’ and he’s a guy that we’ll lose because he’s too good of a player not to have on the field on defense,” Farwell said.
Through two weeks, Muma has taken eight snaps on defense and 33 on special teams. He’s recorded four tackles.
