After a disappointing 2023 season, Chad Muma has become a sidekick for the Jacksonville Jaguars given the success of his teammates Devin Lloyd and Foyesade Oluokun. On the positive side, however, the former Wyoming Cowboy is trending in the right direction. He looked significantly better in the preseason. That did not go unnoticed by Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus.
Locker made an observation about the rosters of all NFL teams, saying it was a bit surprising to see Muma listed as a starter for Jacksonville, pointing out that it could be a sign that the coaching staff plans to give him more playing time.
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The Jaguars’ defense appears to be solid at most positions, but one surprise was that Muma was in the starting lineup as both Will and Sam linebacker.The 24-year-old played just 146 snaps last year, compared to Foye Oluokun and Devin Lloyd, who both reached the 966-snap mark. When he did play, Muma was below average, with a 38.1 overall PFF grade and a modest 29.9 mark against the run.
Still, the fact that Muma’s name appears on Jacksonville’s roster could indicate that Doug Pederson wants to give his two workhorses at linebacker less playing time.”
It’s important to note that the lineup Locker mentioned was unofficial. Defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen even went so far as to say it was etched in sand.
This is important because as improved as Muma appears, Oluokun and Lloyd remain the starting starters. The former has signed a contract extension and the latter was in the best form of his career in the offseason.
However, Muma has played much better. This preseason, he appeared in 58 defensive snaps and recorded nine total tackles. While the linebacker allowed an 83.3 percent completion rate, he gave up an acceptable 7.2 yards per reception. In addition, his PPF total of 74.8 in 2024 was the highest he has recorded in a preseason.
In 2022, a linebacker was one of the team’s biggest needs, so they signed Oluokun as a free agent and later traded back up in the first round – after taking Travon Walker first overall – to select Lloyd. But the Jags decided they weren’t done strengthening the position and selected Muma in the third round.
At the time, the pick seemed unnecessary, but Muma shined as a rookie when the coaching staff benched Lloyd. However, he was unable to build on his promising first NFL season and struggled in 2023. The good news is that he appears to have benefited from the arrival of defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who runs a 4-3 scheme. Based on early results, it seems like the third-year linebacker is a better fit.
Unless he gets injured, Chad Muma won’t get any more playing time than Foyesade Olukoun or Devin Lloyd. Even though the Jaguars will play a 4-3 defense, they will use nickel formations most of the time. Last year, they played that formation 63 percent of the time, and it’s hard to imagine them deviating from that since modern offenses present so many challenges.
In layman’s terms, this means Muma may not be a major player in 2024, but if he continues to make a strong impression, the coaching staff will look for ways to increase his snap count. After all, why wouldn’t you want your best players on the field?
Next, Chad Muma must build on his successful preseason performances and produce results in the regular season. If he can do that, the Jacksonville Jaguars could have a top-10 linebacker corps in 2024.
