![Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) reacts to his forced fumble during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Browns 34-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6000,h_3375/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/213/01m2vk5kjraz283bydcb.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) reacts to his forced fumble during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Browns 34-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
As Week 2 officially went underway on Thursday, a former Gator emerged as a player to watch versus the Denver Broncos this Sunday. Ventrell Miller was asked to step up, playing his most snaps since November of last year. All Miller needed was 33 snaps to make his impact felt in the 34-10 victory.
Miller, entering his third year as a linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, had a day as the Browns couldn’t find an answer to slow down Miller. He got to the quarterback for one sack, in addition to 9 tackles and a forced fumble.
PFF recognized the talent shown last Sunday, awarding Miller a 92.4 overall defensive grade, the highest among all linebackers. He also flexed his muscle in coverage, earning a 92.1 coverage grade, ranking third.
This level of play was desperately needed following the departure of second-team All-Pro Devin Lloyd.
Ventrell Miler was a key cog for Florida
At Florida, Miller was a key contributor, playing 13 games as a freshman, followed by two more seasons of solid production, improving steadily with 55 tackles as a sophomore and 88 as a junior. That steady improvement made a massive senior-year jump for Miller a sure thing, until a torn bicep in Week 2 caused him to miss the rest of his senior year, forcing him to redshirt.
After extensive rehab, Miller returned for his final year as a Gator in 2022, hitting ball carriers 74 times and tackling them behind the line of scrimmage 8.5 times.
Miller's value was clear that year and we commentated back in 2023 that:
"But the real value of Miller could be seen when he was hurt during the Kentucky game. The following week the Gators played USF and Miller had to sit out. Florida looked completely lost and was gashed up the middle by a Bulls offense that couldn’t gash anyone all season long."
The Jaguars saw Miller’s clear nose for the ball and drafted him with the 121st pick in the fourth round of the NFL Draft in 2023.
This Sunday, Miller will be tasked with leading his defense to victory against a Sean Payton offense with a chip on its shoulder following a loss to a returning Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs.
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