Jaguars rookie LB out for season with Achilles injury

Instead of competing for playing time as a rookie, Ventrell Miller will be sidelined for the 2023 season. The Jaguars linebacker has suffered a torn Achilles, head coach Doug Pederson said, via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco.

As a result of the injury, Miller will be out for the season. The news marks a blow for the fourth-rounder, who played at Florida for five years. He showed an ability to be disruptive in the run game, totaling 23.5 tackles for loss over that span. He added 7.5 sacks in college, which likely would have earned him at least a rotational role in Jacksonville as a rookie.

Now, the 24-year-old will begin the lengthy rehab process associated with Achilles tears. The timing of the injury, which occurred in the Jaguars’ preseason finale, should give him an opportunity to recover in time for the start of the 2024 season. Miller had collected nine tackles and a pair of sacks during Jacksonville’s exhibition contests.

The team will move forward with a shorthanded unit at the second level of its defense. Foyesade Oluokun – who led the league in tackles last season, his first in Duval County after signing a big-money deal in free agency, will once again be leaned on heavily. 2022 first-rounder Devin Lloyd is also in place, and should be expected to retain a starting role in his second campaign.

Miller was in line to hold a depth position behind that pair, splitting time with the likes of Chad Muma, Caleb Johnson and Shaquille Quarterman. Given Miller's injury, the latter’s chances of making the Jaguars’ 53-man roster have increased, though plenty of decisions are yet to be made in the next two days.