Jaguars LB is putting himself on the map (it's not who you think)

Linebacker is seemingly a strength for the Jacksonville Jaguars heading into the 2024 season, so it's not shocking to see a few standouts at the position have a good training camp. What's surprising is that sophomore Ventrell Miller is making plays and appears to be back at full strength after missing his rookie season.

John Shipley of Sports Illustrated reports that Miller stood out on Day 2 of training camp. While he gave up completion to tight end Luke Farrell in 7-on-7 drills, the sophomore linebacker forced a fumble. Later in 11-on-11 drills, he made a play for a big loss on a screen pass. Here's Shipley's summary.

"On the first play, Miller had picture-perfect coverage on tight end Luke Farrell on a short pass in 7-on-7 drills. Farrell made a tough grab, but Miller had perfect positioning. Perfect enough to the point that when Farrell attempted to make a football move, he fumbled the ball and it was scooped up by Foye Oluokun.

Even if Farrell didn't fumble, Miller's coverage was impressive. His second big play was in 11-on-11 drills at the end of practice, with Miller sniffing out a screen pass behind the line of scrimmage for a big loss, earning a loud reaction from the sideline."

On a side note, Shipley mentioned that linebacker Caleb Johnson had a strong outing as well.

A fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Miller was seen as a typical Trent Baalke pick because he dealt with injuries in college and the Jaguars weren't in need of linebacker depth. A torn bicep limited him to only two games in 2021. The former Florida Gator played through a foot injury the following year and underwent surgery in 2023.

Miller was back in time for training camp last year but an Achilles tear ended his rookie season before it started. He told Alessandra Pontbriand of News4Jax in mandatory camp that he was at full strength and "more settled in" in Year 2. Here's the exchange.

Jaguars LB Ventrell Miller is raising his stock in training camp

The Jags raised eyebrows when they drafted Ventrell Miller, having used a pair of selections on Chad Muma and Devin Lloyd the year prior. On top of that, the team's brass signed Foyesade Oluokun in 2022. Simply put, drafting yet another linebacker seemed like an unnecessary move. One year later, the pick looks much better.

Miller's strong performance in training camp shows that taking a risk on players with medical red flags sometimes can pay off. Moreover, taking the Florida native didn't come with much risk when you take into account that the front office picked him in the fourth round. Now, he'll have a chance to pass fellow linebacker Chad Muma on the depth chart.

Muma, a third-round pick in 2022, flashed as a rookie but struggled in his sophomore campaign. So far, he has been unremarkable in training camp. Right now, the Wyoming Cowboy is slated to be the primary reserve Oluokun and Lloyd but if he doesn't turn the corner soon, he could move down the depth chart.

On the other hand, Miller must now prove that he can stay healthy, something he's struggled with the past three seasons. Maybe this is the year, he gets rid of the injury-prone label, who knows? But Jacksonville should be pleased with the progress he's made in 2024.

With Oluokun and Lloyd entrenched as the starters, Miller won't be getting a featured role soon even if he keeps showing out. That said, the Jacksonville Jaguars should feel good about depth in their linebacker corps ahead of the regular season.

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