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AFC Notes: Devin Lloyd, Calvin Ridley, C.J. Stroud, Jaguars, Texans, Titans
Apr 8, 2026Wyatt GrindleyNFL Trade Rumors
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Jaguars Jacksonville lost starting LB Devin Lloyd in free agency, leaving a void in the middle of their defense going into 2026. Jaguars HC Liam Coen has high hopes for LB Ventrell Miller , and feels their lack of additions at the position should instill confidence in the third-year defender to become a full-time player. “Any time you can give a player confidence without telling them anything … like right now, if you’re him and we haven’t signed anybody, you should say well at least they believe in me,” Coen said, via SI.com’s John Shipley . “At least they think I can do it. And now it is on him and us to do it together. But also like dude, now is time. Now is time to truly take it over. There is going to be an opportunity there.” Texans Texans QB C.J. Stroud had a rough end to 2025, ending with a brutal loss in New England where he had four interceptions and a 28.0 passer rating. Houston HC DeMeco Ryans feels Stroud is locked in and is excited to see him have a full offseason with no unexpected distractions. “I see a guy who’s dialed in to the offseason and really working,” Ryans said, via Mike Jones of The Athletic . “The past couple offseasons, he hasn’t had that full time to really — whether it was injury or other things — he hasn’t had that full time to dedicate himself to the offseason.” “So, I see a guy, he’s in full grind mode right now. So I’m excited to see what comes from the work that he’s putting in. It’s only going to be better. The mindset is right. Physically, he’s in a really good space. Mentally in a really good space. I’m excited to see him get back to work.” Houston shuffled the offensive line around in hopes to protect Stroud and give him more time to perform. Ryans believes the changes have improved the team, and couldn’t say enough about Stroud’s desire to reach out to new additions. “The investments we made in the offensive line (have) really enhanced our team, right? And C.J. should be a beneficiary of that as well. He’s excited about the moves we made. What I love about C.J. is, the guys we are signing in this time of free agency, he’s the first guy like, ‘Can I get a guy’s number? Can I reach out?’ “He wants to reach out to those guys and really welcome them to the Texans family. And it means so much to him, and it means so much to us. And I know, from a free-agent perspective or a new guy going into a new situation, when you hear from the starting quarterback from that team, it carries a lot of weight.” Titans New Titans HC Robert Saleh is happy to have WR Calvin Ridley on the team, with GM Mike Borgonzi making it clear they wanted him back in 2026. “(Calvin) has the capability of doing whatever he wants in this league – he is a tremendous talent,” Saleh said, via the team website . “I know not everything has gone perfectly, but when he is on the field, he is a problem. Any time you can add players, or keep players in this case, who can score from anywhere on the football field, I think that is important.” “I thought Calvin was great for Cam, and great in that room in general for the young guys, even for the offseason,” Borgonzi noted. “He’s a veteran guy who has played the position at a high level in the league, and I think he brings that part of it, too, for some of our young guys. And the thing about Rid is he works, and he still has his speed, Rid. We are excited about having Rid back for us this year.” “I like where we’re at,” Borgonzi said of the wide receiver position. “Obviously, we had two rookie re…