Jabbar Muhammad didn’t just survive a stressful finish against the Saints. He owned it.
With the game hanging in the balance and one second left on the clock, the Jaguars cornerback got one more target thrown his way. Hunter Dekkers tried to drop the ball into the back corner of the end zone toward Jalen Moreno-Cropper, but Muhammad got a hand up and knocked it away to seal the win. He walked off celebrating while the Jacksonville sideline swarmed him.
That last snap carried extra weight because it came right after a defensive pass interference call on Muhammad had extended New Orleans’ drive. Earlier in the game, he had already been beaten on several catches while defending pass catchers, a rough stretch that looked a lot like his first preseason outing.
Instead of letting the flag linger in his head, Muhammad reset and made the play that mattered most.
“No matter what it is, I’m going to try my best to rise to the occasion,” Muhammad said. “I feel like that’s been me over my career.
Whether that’s in college or now I’m trying to prove myself up here. Whenever those opportunities arise, I just know that I got to get myself to rise to the occasion.”
That kind of response is exactly why Muhammad is pushing for a spot on Jacksonville’s main roster. He’s been making plays all offseason and into training camp, and the Jaguars have noticed.
One of the clearest examples came during practice last week against rookie tight end Tanner Koziol, who is listed at 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds and was drafted for his strong hands and ball skills. Muhammad, who is 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, gave up plenty of size, but still rose up and swatted the ball away. The defensive sideline erupted.
“That's the competitiveness of the guy,” defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said of the practice play. “You hope those situations show up in practice. You hope they show up in a game for guys.”
For Muhammad, those moments have become routine. He spent last season on Jacksonville’s practice squad after joining the team as part of its undrafted free agent class, and he didn’t get into a game.
This spring, though, extra reps opened up because Travis Hunter and Jourdan Lewis were injured, and Muhammad took advantage of them. He seemed to make a play almost every day.
Head coach Liam Coen called him one of the most improved players in the offseason program, though he wanted to see whether that carried over once the lights came on. So far, it has.
The Jaguars have made versatility a priority on defense, and Muhammad has fit right into that approach. He has worked both inside and outside this offseason, giving the staff a player who can move around as needed.
“Something I root myself on, being able to play inside and outside so they can’t keep you off the field,” he said. “The league is going to that and some people get paid the big bucks to go and do it.
That’s the end goal. It definitely plays into my strengths.”
That flexibility has helped him stay in the mix, but it’s not the only reason he’s drawing attention. The Jaguars brought in a new defensive backs coach this offseason, Mat Araujo, and Muhammad has been one of the players most eager to keep learning. He regularly stays after practice to get extra work, sometimes for more than a half hour beyond the scheduled end.
Campanile said the growth has been obvious.
“Jabbar, probably as much as anybody on our defense, has developed from where he was at this time last year in camp to where he is now,” Campanile said. “He's just done a lot of really good things. He's been a good football player for us.”
Muhammad still has work to do if he wants to lock down a roster spot. Christian Braswell is returning from injury, and that could cut into Muhammad’s reps. He may have to beat out Braswell for the final defensive back spot, and the work in the preseason could also affect how many opportunities he gets during the week as the Jaguars move into joint practices.
Even so, Muhammad’s approach doesn’t change.
“I don’t get too high, I don’t get too low. I try to stay even-keeled, especially as a [defensive back],” he said.
“Just study my notes, get in. Whatever coach calls, execute at a high level and try to put some stuff on tape.”
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The bigger picture is hard to miss now, with Hunter already up to 70 offensive snaps and 137 defensive snaps in team periods this season. For Jacksonville, the question is no longer whether he can flash in spurts, but how much responsibility the staff is willing to keep stacking on him as camp wears on. His usage is becoming a real storyline for the Jaguars, and the next step will say plenty about where the team thinks he fits best. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Camp Buzz Is Suddenly Centered On One Rookie And A Problem
Day 14 of Jaguars training camp brought a little more clarity along the offensive line, where rookie guard Emmanuel Pregnon looked solid against the starting defensive front. The session also had a different feel because of the injuries piling up, which left practice less padded than usual and gave the team a lighter, more controlled look as camp kept moving along.
Elsewhere, Travis Hunter again worked almost entirely on defense and continued to flash as a cornerback, while linebacker Branson Combs drew attention for his coverage work in 7-on-7 periods. Even with those encouraging signs, the broader camp picture still has an unsettled edge to it, especially with the roster taking hits at a time when the Jaguars are trying to sort out who can handle bigger roles once the contact ramps back up. [Read more 🡒]