As Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller enters his fourth NFL season, the stakes are even higher. The departure of linebacker Devin Lloyd during free agency to the Carolina Panthers leaves a starting linebacker role up for grabs.
Pro Football Focus ranked Miller the No. 1 breakout candidate at his position. After losing the duel to Lloyd last season, Miller will fight to enter his first season as a starter during training camp.
“Reps are gold,” Miller said Thursday. “Whatever reps you do, make the most of them. Everything’s being evaluated, so go out there each and every day and try to be the same person and continue to stack good days.”
The Jaguars selected the former Gators linebacker 127th overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
Miller’s strongest season came in 2024, when he started in nine of 15 games and recorded 74 tackles, including 48 solo tackles. He started four straight games from Weeks 4-8, averaging nine tackles per game while tallying two tackles for loss during that stretch in which the Jaguars notched two of their four wins.
In 2025, Miller took on a less prominent role, starting in just two games, but remained healthy for all 17 games. When on the field, he made an impact, notching his first career interception against the New York Jets on Dec. 14, picking off quarterback Brady Cook.
Miller registered 27 tackles (12 solo), four passes defended and a forced fumble, making him the only NFL player to record a forced fumble and interception while seeing fewer than 250 defensive snaps (205) in 2025.
The coaching staff didn’t bring in any new players to replace Lloyd, giving Miller a boost as he prepares for the season. Although, the Jaguars signed linebacker Jared Bartlett Sunday, who appeared in two games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2025.
“It gave me a little bit of confidence coming into OTAs that they believe in the group we got right now,” Miller said. “Just [got] to go prove them right. They gave me the confidence, and it just feels good that your coaching staff believes in you.”
Miller spent his rookie season sidelined after rupturing his Achilles during the team’s preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 26, 2023, marking the linebacker’s third straight season with a significant injury.
During his senior season at Florida in 2022, he played through a broken foot and underwent surgery in December, preventing him from fully participating in the NFL Scouting Combine and Florida Pro Day. He obtained a medical redshirt in 2021 after suffering a torn bicep, missing all but two games.
In 2025, Miller played his first fully healthy season in first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s new system. Campanile continues pushing Miller, as he acclimates to the system.
“Coming in this second year with this scheme, [I’m] feeling confident with it,” Miller said. [I’m] feeling good body-wise. I know I had some previous injuries, but [I’m] feeling good right now. [Coach Campanile is] always trying to fine-tune things within me, so just having a coach stay on you, trying to push you to be the best version of yourself, always comes in handy. “
To solidify his spot, Miller needs to outshine second-year linebacker Branson Combs. Combs signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent in 2025 and started his rookie season on the practice squad but played in 10 games, making his NFL debut Oct. 19 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Combs mainly contributed on special teams, logging 177 snaps compared with 28 on defense. Coach Liam Coen watched Combs make strides in the offseason and won’t count him out of the battle.
“He’s tough, he’s smart, he understands football,” Coen said. “It’s more so him just being able to get a ton of reps, every single rep that Branson gets, whether it’s with the first group [or] the second group, [it] doesn’t matter; those reps are important, and they’re very beneficial to him. So, he gives himself a chance, I think, with some of those things.”
With the first padded practice scheduled for Monday, Miller has an opportunity to prove himself at a higher intensity. He’ll continue to take the same approach as he competes to earn a starting role when the Jaguars take the field in New Orleans against the Saints Aug. 15.
“All it takes is a year,” Miller said. “Just staying the course, you can get good things to come by that. [If you] continue to work hard regardless of what the circumstances may be and do the right things, you can be put in the right position [to] make a lot of plays in this defense.”
