From practice squad standout to OTA headliner, Jabbar Muhammad leans on instincts and a deep lineage of defensive backs to secure his place in Jacksonville’s secondary.
Being a cornerback is in Jabbar Muhammad's blood.
Muhammad, who spent the entirety of his rookie season in 2025 on the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad, has been one of the biggest standouts during offseason practices. The 24-year-old, who came to Jacksonville as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Oregon (after beginning his college career at Oklahoma State and Washington), has continued to turn heads throughout OTAs and minicamp.
For Muhammad, playing cornerback is part of his DNA. Covering wide receivers is the Muhammad family business.
Speaking with Rachel Phillips during the Jaguars' OTA session on Tuesday, Muhammad talked about his family of cornerbacks.
"All of us do it. All of us got some natural instincts," he told Phillips.
Notable Cornerbacks In The Family
Aside from Jabbar, the Muhammad family has several other cornerbacks in the family.
Malik Muhammad, Jabbar's cousin, was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft after starring at the University of Texas. Jabbar and Malik spent their lives training together and have a "brother-like" bond. Apart from training together, the two have squared off in the Sugar Bowl, one of the College Football Semifinal games, after the 2023 season.
Another of Muhammad's cousins, A.J. Green (not the wide receiver), played corner at Oklahoma State before beginning his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns. After short stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams, Green joined the Miami Dolphins in November of last year and remains on their roster.
Two of Jabbar's older brothers, Khairi and E.J., both played cornerback in college. Khairi played for the University of North Texas, while E.J. played for Nevada. Jabbar credits E.J. as his primary inspiration for taking up the position.
Jabbar told Phillips about how he was able to learn from each of the CBs in his family.
"Honestly, I was just following my big brothers, following my big cousins. Following in their footsteps. And, obviously, I picked up some cool skills from watching those guys. We just took it and ran with it."
Ironically, Muhammad's father, Elijah Sr., played wide receiver at East Texas State, but decided to train the younger generation of Muhammads to become defensive backs.
Final Thoughts
You can see Muhammad beaming with pride while talking about his family being full of cornerbacks. He obviously is filled with joy and feels blessed to have grown up with so many elite athletes who have helped mold him into one himself.
Jabbar especially sounds excited to be able to continue his friendly rivalry with cousin Malik now that both have reached the NFL.
After spending his rookie year on Jacksonville's practice squad, Muhammad is making a serious push to not only make the Jaguars' roster, but to become a regular in their defensive back rotation.
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