Devin Lloyd's 2025 team (if not Jaguars) is now painfully obvious

The Jacksonville Jaguars revamped their coaching staff after the 2024 season and the roster could also see a significant overhaul. Many of their players could end up on the trade block, but one that isn't discussed nearly enough is linebacker Devin Lloyd, who's failed to live up to expectations. And in light of the Germaine Pratt news, his next team has become obvious.

Ahead of free agency, insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Pratt asked the Cincinnati Bengals to trade him. The request came in light of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's departure to the Indianapolis Colts.

As Rapoport points out, Cincy has made an aggressive effort to keep its offense together. Receivers Tee Higgins and JaMarr Chase are slated to hit the open market and star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is looking for a new deal. This could in turn make Pratt an afterthought in their plans.

A third-round pick in 2019, Pratt has been a mainstay of the Cincinnati defense, playing 96 games with 88 starts the past six seasons. In that span, he's logged 616 total tackles, seven forced fumbles, and 23 passes defensed.

If the Bengals place Pratt in the trade block, he'll have no shortage of suitors. Due to the Anarumo connection, the Colts would become a logical fit. On the other hand, moving on from him would create a need at linebacker for the Bengals. Fortunately for them, there may be one guy available who could help.

Why the Bengals should give the Jaguars a call about Devin Lloyd

Back in 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars moved back into the first round to take Devin Lloyd with the 27th pick after drafting Travon Walker first overall. At the time, the move made sense because linebacker was a need for the team. That said, it doesn't look that great three years later.

After all, Lloyd hasn't been outright bad, but he hasn't been the game-changer the Jaguars expected either. Heck, 2023 fourth-round pick Ventrell Miller outplayed him when he was thrust into action. Add the fact that the regime that brought the former Utah Ute to Duval is now gone, and it's easy to see why the team's brass may want to move on from him.

Of course, Lloyd could get another opportunity by virtue of being a former first-round pick. Moreover, his $6 million contract for 2025 is guaranteed, so the Jags may hesitate to move on from him, as it wouldn't create any cap space and would instead leave a significant amount of dead money.

Then again, trading Lloyd would allow Jacksonville to replenish the linebacker corps and Miller could join the starting lineup next to Foyesade Oluokun. Granted, they won't create space but they would free up a roster spot and get a pick (probably a fifth or sixth) in exchange. Of course, there's another scenario where both Miller and Lloyd compete for a roster spot.

In the end, it would come down to how much the new Jacksonville Jaguars regime values Lloyd, but if it doesn't think he's part of the team's long-term plans, he could get a fresh start with the Cincinnati Bengals.

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