Updated March 14, 2026, 2:28 p.m. ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars will now have to find a way to replace Devin Lloyd in the middle of their defense.

After putting together a career year in 2025, which included being named a second-team All-Pro, Lloyd signed a free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers.

Lloyd brought a do-it-all presence to the Jaguars‘ defense, impacting the game in a variety of ways.

“Devin’s impact on our football team over the course of the last year was nothing short of significant, and without him, without his on-ball production, games are going to look a lot different,” GM James Gladstone said on Thursday, via Jaguars on SI. “The results of those games are going to look a lot different, and I know that our coaching staff had such a high appreciation for what he did. The players in the locker room loved to play beside him and appreciate all the pieces that he brought to the puzzle.”

So now what’s next at the linebacker position for Jacksonville? Without Lloyd, the starting spot next to Foye Oluokun is up for grabs.

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Well, Gladstone may have just hinted at what that pecking order looks like. The first player he mentioned was Ventrell Miller, a fourth-round pick by Jacksonville in 2023, who has made 11 starts in his career. During training camp last summer, Miller was seeing some first-team linebacker reps as well.

“I think we can look at our own that we still have as people that can step in and have stepped in over the course of their rookie contracts in Ventrell Miller,” Gladstone added. “He started multiple games at linebacker for us and did so even last year.”

Replacing Lloyd’s impact is twofold. There is, of course, what he brought to the defense, but he was also a contributor on special teams. Gladstone mentioned Branson Combs’ ability to impact that phase of the game.

From Week 7 through the end of the season, Combs played 193 special teams snaps as a rookie, regularly contributing to four of the six different phases, according to PFF.

“Beyond that, Branson Combs, who as an undrafted college free agent found his mark on special teams and still has a lot of upside that can be built upon,” Gladstone said.

Under defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, the Jaguars utilize a base 4-3 defense. Lining up in the SAM linebacker position next to Miller and Oluokun will be Dennis Gardeck, who was re-signed recently. Jack Kiser will be a backup behind Oluokun.

“Beyond that, you look at the middle linebacker spot in Foye, who’s held that down for quite a few years and is the leader of that crew,” Gladstone said. “It’s really exciting to know that he can continue to evolve in that capacity with Jack Kiser right behind him.

“The fact that we were able to get Dennis back who wasn’t a signing untial after the draft last year and really made his dent within the really flexiblbe role that is SAM backer, being able to rush, being able to drop, being able to really be active on special teams and bring a competitive fire that you know anybody who loves football will love Dennis Gardeck. I think that was pretty clear, and he allowed Campy, who really appreciates that SAM backer position, to grow it and really make it so that it was suited for what Dennis does best.”

Also on the roster at linebacker is Jalen McLeod, who at the college level played both linebacker and defensive end, along with Yasir Abdullah, who has primarily contributed on special teams.

“Then right behind him (Gardeck), you got McLeod, who’s coming off really a red-shirt year dealing with injuries, and then also Yasir Abdullah, who’s obviously been such a critical piece in particular on special teams. So there’s a lot of experience coming back with obviously still room to find ways to improve over the course of the offseason, not including just the draft.”

The Jaguars have 11 draft picks this year, providing Gladstone with the opportunity to further add to this position. We also saw throughout last year that Gladstone is willing to make roster changes at really any time.

(This story was updated to add new information.)