London’s calling, but Devin Lloyd won’t be able to answer.
A fractured hand that required surgery this week will keep the Chula Vista product in Jacksonville on Sunday, when his Jaguars play the Falcons in London’s Wembley Stadium. The Florida franchise will play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 5 before returning stateside for an Oct. 15 home game against the Colts.
It’s a time for resilience from not only Lloyd (Otay Ranch High School) but also his fellow San Diegan in the Jaguars’ regular lineup, receiver/returner Jamal Agnew of Point Loma High School and the University of San Diego.
In the Jaguars’ 20-point loss last week to the underdog Texans, Agnew lost his first regular-season fumble in two years and Lloyd’s hand was fractured.
It was Agnew who sparked the Jaguars (1-2) to their only victory.
He surprised Colts defenders by fielding a punt that bounced inside the 10-yard line and went 48 yards, showing good speed to outflank the pursuit.
The Jaguars turned the fourth-quarter return into a go-ahead road victory in the season opener. They followed with mistake-riddled defeats in home games against the Chiefs and Texans.
A year ago, the San Diegans helped Jacksonville to claim its first AFC South title since 2017 and contribued as well to a playoff victory in which the Jaguars overcame a 27-0 second-half deficit against the Chargers.
Lloyd, taken 27th in the 2022 NFL Draft, earned NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Month honors at inside linebacker in September after intercepting two es and making other plays.
He finished his rookie year with ample teaching material to apply to this season.
“The expectation is to get to the ball, get my hands on the football or just be disruptive in the game,” he told a Jaguars online reporter last month. “Even in the run game, being around the ball, always. That’s kind of my M.O., is I’m going to be around the ball.”
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Lloyd will remain at the team’s training site as his hand heals to improve his chances of playing Oct. 19 at New Orleans.
Lloyd, who turns 25 this weekend, ranks third on the team with 19 tackles and has three es defended.
He appeared in all 19 games as a rookie, starting 17 of them.
Agnew, 28, has five catches for 54 yards and took a kickoff back 33 yards. He’s in his seventh NFL season since going to Detroit as a fifth-round selection.
