Devin Lloyd's long wait over: Jaguars rookie linebacker records five tackles in preseason start

Devin Lloyd finally got his chance to prove his worth as a first-round selection by the Jaguars.

”That was definitely huge,” he said after the game in interview with Action Sports.

The rookie linebacker from Utah, who missed almost all of training camp and the first three preseason games with a hamstring injury, started for the Jags in their 28-12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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Lloyd appeared comfortable in the middle, didn't seem out of position on any play and showed a burst at times that belied the fact that his hamstring injury — which occurred during a conditioning drill the first day the team reported to camp on July 24 — was more severe than anyone thought.

Coach Doug Pederson had expressed hopes earlier in the week that Lloyd could play the first quarter but he wound up playing on the first five defensive possessions and got 25 snaps in all, coming out for good with 6:44 left in the second quarter.

At the time Lloyd left the game, he was tied with third-year pro Shaq Quarterman for the team lead with five tackles, three solo stops. The Falcons had only two more offensive snaps after that, a 1-yard touchdown by Quadree Ollison after a blocked punt and the final play of the half following a long TD drive by the Jaguars, which was an interception by Xavier Crawford.

That meant Lloyd played 92 percent of the Jags' defensive snaps from scrimmage.

"We wanted to get him the first quarter at least, and he played most of the first half," coach Doug Pederson said after the game. "He did well, obviously, from what I can see. We'll watch the tape on the way home but he looked good, played fast. We'll see."

Lloyd said he was aching to go out and hit someone after exactly four weeks of mostly rehabbing the injury and doing individual non-contact drills.

“Bringing guys to the ground, the contact part of it, understand and gauge the workload, the capacity,” Lloyd told Action News of his two quarters of work. “It was good to go out and do that. It’s going to be a little sore … but definitely felt good out there.”

Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen, who was one of 27 players who didn't suit up, was also enthusiastic about Lloyd's play.

"He's aggressive, he flies around, he wants to make every play," he said during an interview with sideline reporter Brent Martineau. "I'm excited to see him play."

Lloyd made three plays in particular that showed his speed, range and strength:

• On the first play of the game, he dropped into coverage. Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder had to throw the ball high over Lloyd — who almost got in the air enough to tip the pass — and right into the arms of safety Daniel Thomas. Lloyd jumped up to celebrate for a moment, then gathered himself quickly and blocked two Atlanta players to clear running room for Thomas.

• After James McCourt's field goal, Lloyd helped Quarterman blow up a play for a 1-yard loss by Tyler Allgaier. Lloyd was scarcely bothered by guard Jonotthan Harrison's attempt to block him and helped Quarterman clean up the play.

• On another play when Lloyd dropped into coverage, Qadree Ollison took off on a sweep to that side. Lloyd raced over, blew past tight end McCole Pruitt (who didn't seem to see Lloyd at all, or couldn't react to Lloyd's speed) and shoved Ollison out of bounds. It was a 7-yard gain but it could have been much more.

Throw out the Falcons' 75-yard scoring drive on their second possession, and they had a net of minus-9 yards on the other four possessions in which Lloyd was on the field.

Lloyd had been penciled in as the starter in the middle with Foyesade Oulokun before his injury and as a result, Chad Muma got the bulk of the reps and has played well in training camp. But with two weeks before the opening game on Sept. 11 at Washington, Lloyd looks like he's back in the saddle.

"It's a great situation to be in," Pederson said. "Three players for two spots. Both [Lloyd and Muma] have been really good, bright spots for us. They're young players, ascending players who are going to have to play meaningful snaps."

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd shows speed, range in first start