Jacksonville Jaguars rookie LB Chad Muma to get more playing time post-bye week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Rookie linebacker Chad Muma could marque his archetypal commencement for the Jacksonville Jaguars connected Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

Muma is 1 of the fewer progressive NFL players known to beryllium playing with Type 1 diabetes. Another? Ravens choky extremity Mark Andrews, who Muma volition person the accidental to enactment up against erstwhile the Ravens question to Jacksonville. November, by the way, is Diabetes Awareness Month.

“It’s benignant of each coming unneurotic close this week,” Muma said.

Jaguars caput manager Doug Pederson and antiaircraft coordinator Mike Caldwell aren’t saying whether Muma volition so regenerate chap rookie Devin Lloyd successful the starting lineup, truthful that whitethorn not beryllium revealed until Sunday. But the third-round prime retired of Wyoming is decidedly going to beryllium getting importantly much playing clip successful the last 7 games.

It’s partially owed to Muma’s betterment arsenic the play has progressed but besides due to the fact that Lloyd, whom the Jaguars selected 27^th overall, has struggled since his blistery start.

“Consistency [in Muma’s play], but I think, too, it helps, sometimes, successful Devin’s case, conscionable coming retired of the crippled and seeing it from the sidelines, seeing a small antithetic perspective,” Pederson said. “Allowing Chad to get invaluable reps, it’s a batch similar Buster [CB Montaric Brown] playing and getting invaluable reps astatine country and seeing wherever Chad is with everything.

“Right now, he’s been benignant of constricted to peculiar teams. He is simply a bully linebacker, and we privation to get him connected the field.”

Muma got the astir extended playing clip of his vocation successful the Jaguars’ nonaccomplishment to the Kansas City Chiefs connected Nov. 13, playing a season-high 25 antiaircraft snaps. He was connected the tract precocious successful the archetypal fractional and played much successful the 2nd and finished with six tackles, including 4 solo tackles.

Muma had played double-digit antiaircraft snaps successful lone 1 different crippled (11 against the Houston Texans connected Oct. 9) this season. Most of his playing clip has been connected peculiar teams -- helium is 4th connected the squad with 7 peculiar teams tackles.

“Reflecting backmost connected that archetypal preseason game, the Hall of Fame game, it felt truly accelerated compared to the past crippled against Kansas City,” Muma said. “It truly slowed down for me. I was capable to spot plays quicker, respond faster, and truthful I'm feeling much assured now.

“… I consciousness overmuch much assured successful my sum skills, whether it's successful the past game, and besides conscionable utilizing my hands. When an violative lineman would travel up to maine I tin prosecute them amended and get disconnected and marque a play.”

Lloyd was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month for September aft compiling 24 tackles and intercepting 2 passes and breaking up 4 others, but helium hasn’t built connected that. He has missed assignments and gotten retired of presumption astatine times and Pederson admitted they benched him precocious successful the archetypal fractional of the Chiefs game.

Lloyd did play successful the 2nd fractional but finished with a season-low 38 antiaircraft snaps (60%) successful that game. He had played each antiaircraft drawback successful six of the Jaguars’ 9 erstwhile games.

“I started disconnected blistery and past the past fewer weeks it wasn't arsenic bully arsenic I was successful the beginning,” Lloyd said. “For me, it's conscionable going retired and conscionable executing, making plays that I cognize I tin marque and truly conscionable spot my ability.”

Lloyd said he’s going to effort and marque the champion retired of his reduced playing clip and absorption connected continuing to make implicit the last 7 games.

“I cognize what Doug had mentioned, [that] sometimes from the sideline you get a small spot antithetic perspective,” helium said. “Me personally, I emotion playing. I emotion playing the game. I evidently don't privation to spell retired but for me, it's conscionable each astir growth. As cleanable arsenic we privation it to be, it's ne'er going to beryllium perfect. So for me, it's conscionable astir learning from my mistakes and making definite they don't hap again [and] continuing to advancement each day.”