Jaguars Share Plan to Replace Star Devin Lloyd

It is important to have a plan in place, and the Jaguars under Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen seem to have one in place for almost everything, including replacing former star linebacker Devin Lloyd, who signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency. Coen spoke to reporters on Tuesday to share the Jaguars' potential plan on how the team will replace the All-Pro linebacker.

Coen shares intel on Lloyd's replacement, importance of the "green dot" on defense

For a team in the Jaguars' position, having a plan in place to replace talent is of the utmost importance. What has helped is some impressive drafting from former general manager Trent Baalke to establish depth and potential starters across the board, and one player in particular who looks to be ready for a significant role on defense is linebacker Ventrell Miller.

Miller, a third-year linebacker from Florida, has started 11 games in Jacksonville, including nine as a rookie, where he tallied 80 tackles and four tackles for loss in an impressive rookie season. Miller has seemingly become the insurance policy in the case of Lloyd's departure, as Coen raved on his growth, noting that the lack of moves at linebacker should give the 27-year-old defender confidence.

"I think that when Ventrell was asked to play a lot of meaningful snaps last year, I think we saw some really good things and then there's some things we can continue to coach off of," Coen said. "I think anytime you give a player confidence without telling them anything, like right now if you're him and we haven't signed anybody yet, you should say, 'well, at least they believe in me. At least they think I can do it.'"

According to Coen, it is now on Miller to put it together and take over as a standout defender for the league's No. 1 run defense from last season. The second-year head coach believes Miller is made of the right stuff and is excited about what his linebacker's third season could look like. However, the importance of wearing the "green-dot" is high for Miller.

The green dot is the indicator for coach and player communication as the player calls out the plays given to him through an earpiece within the helmet from the offensive or defensive play-caller. Foyesade Oluokun, Jacksonville's starting MIKE linebacker, wears the green dot most of the time, though Lloyd wore it a few times during this past season, as Coen called him a "collision communicator" for how intentional he was with the call-outs.

"Every player on every play has to communicate at a high level, especially when you're at the second level of the defense, and he's a player that we also put on the ball some in five-down fronts," Coen explained. "[Lloyd] was blitzing and involved in the rush sometimes from the coordination. So, you have to be a communicator."

How does this play in for Miller? It puts an onus on him to be a more effective playmaker at the second level and puts less stress on Gladstone to address the position in the NFL Draft, which he may still do regardless. However, having that insurance and competition is how things got to this point, where the Jaguars aren't having to lean on a newer player to take significant snaps when someone with experience is already in the picture.

It is fair to question the plan from Gladstone and Coen. However, they have already shown throughout the year that they are capable of succeeding within that plan.