CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When linebacker Devin Lloyd returns to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars on Friday at EverBank Field (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) for the Carolina Panthers' third game of the preseason, his helmet will not only be a different color but it will also have a new accessory attached to it.
Lloyd will wear a green dot sticker on his helmet, an indicator of the headset inside, as the defense's vocal leader -- a responsibility the prized free agent rarely undertook during his four-year stint with the Jaguars.
Lloyd, 27, earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods in his final season in Jacksonville. He cashed in during free agency in March, signing a three-year, $41.9 million deal with the Panthers. And while the money serves as a nice incentive, Lloyd was looking for other things with his second NFL squad: a chance to win and that green dot on his helmet.
"I always practiced wearing the green dot in Jacksonville," Lloyd told ESPN. "I played with the green dot in a couple of games -- shoot, I love it. ... That was a nonnegotiable in free agency."
Lloyd is the middle man between coordinator Ejiro Evero, who enters his fourth season leading the Panthers defense, and the other 10 players on that side of the ball. Like the quarterback on offense, Lloyd receives the playcall from Evero and then relays that information to his fellow defenders.
The ability to speak efficiently in the huddle is vital, and Lloyd has impressed his coaches and teammates with his voice.
"We knew what we were going to get in terms of the on-the-field player, and we do our research, so we knew he was a quality guy, smart ... but the communication has been off the charts," Evero said.
"It seems like it comes natural to him," veteran safety Tre'von Moehrig added.
Lloyd's communication skills have extended beyond the defense. He has become a sounding board of sorts for offensive coordinator Brad Idzik as well. Idzik, who has been with Carolina since 2024 but will enter the 2026 season as an NFL playcaller, has exchanged information with Lloyd throughout camp to get the linebacker's insight into what he is looking at pre-snap and during plays.
"I'm like, 'OK, what's giving it away that allows you to relate this receiver so quickly or this tight end so quickly? Help us get better, too,'" Idzik said. "He'll give me a little bit if it's not for the next practice -- not going to hold him back -- but I think going into the season those are going to be great conversations that carry over and help us as an offense."
Lloyd played safety and wide receiver at Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista, California, before converting to linebacker at Utah. While he boosted his profile well enough to be drafted at No. 27 by the Jaguars in 2022, he still had a learning curve at the position. His background at other positions and his 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame helped him stay fluid on the field, but the mental aspect was a long-term undertaking that Lloyd turned into an unwavering passion for the game.
That dedication shined through during his breakout 2025 season as he produced 81 tackles, 1.5 sacks, seven pass breakups and five interceptions.
And Lloyd's attention to detail was made apparent in his Panthers preseason debut against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. He collected three tackles (one for loss) and a QB pressure in 12 snaps.
"I was talking to him ... last week and I was like, 'Bro, what do you do outside of here?' cause he strikes me as a guy that is all football," Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn said. "And he's like, 'Nothing.'"
An example of Lloyd's dedication to his craft and leadership took place last week. As the Panthers hosted an event for players and their families, Lloyd instead chose to spend time working on his tackle-shedding moves in a 25-minute post-practice work
"He's got a real great urgency and focus about him," Panthers coach Dave Canales said.
Lloyd credits his dedication as the primary reason for his ascension with awards and a lucrative free agent contract. His investment in improvement has made him a tough defender to fool, and he's able to play his own cat-and-mouse game with the quarterback because of his ever-evolving football IQ.
The Panthers are hoping that Lloyd's presence, along with the addition of outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, another top pickup, can improve last year's 16th-ranked defense.
"Devin Lloyd is playing the game within the game, and he's trying to get a beat on your concepts, and he's usually dropping to a spot to start but then relating to receivers," Idzik said. "So, you've got to be wary of guys like that, where they run their white line on the page and they start to drift with the concept, so you can't always trust that he's going to be stagnant once he gets to the top of his drop."
Lloyd and the rest of the Panthers' starters will have a healthy workload against his old teammates in Jacksonville during a joint practice on Wednesday. Following the shared workout, Lloyd will give the Jaguars a glimpse of what they let walk away in Friday's preseason matchup in his former stomping grounds.
While Canales wouldn't commit to a playing time frame for Lloyd and other starters, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will get reacquainted with the linebacker throughout the week of work. Lloyd, who has turned himself into a versatile threat as a blitzer and a ball hawk, will need to be accounted for on every play against the Jacksonville offense.
Lloyd admits there's a bit of emotion heading into his reunion with former teammates and coaches, but he's focused on getting better individually and as a team.
"He just brings a leadership presence to the defense, and he's just about his business, so guys are going to follow behind him," Horn said.
Lloyd has found his voice in Carolina, but he'll let his work do the talking against his former squad.
"I'm grateful to be in the situation I'm in right now," Lloyd said. "Ultimately, what I do against them and what I do against other opponents, that'll all speak for itself."