The Jaguars are moving ahead with Walker Little at left tackle in Week 6, and coach Liam Coen is leaning on experience at the position to steady the edge after Anton Harrison’s injury. Coen said he trusts Little and right tackle Cole Van Lanen, pointing to what both have already shown against Houston.
“I have a lot of confidence in Walker and (right tackle) Cole (Van Lanen) to go in there (and play) and they have played (Houston) so many times and have had success against them and know what they’re in for in terms of the battle,” Coen said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times Union.
Harrison’s status for the rest of the season is still up in the air, but Coen made clear the next step is the procedure coming up for the tackle.
“We’ll just figure it out when we get back. He’ll have a little procedure and we’ll see what it looks like in there,” Coen said.
Little, who logged 31 snaps in Week 5 after Harrison went down, said there’s plenty the offense can sharpen, but he’s eager for the chance to start.
“It was good. Obviously as an offense, we would like to clean some stuff up with the penalties and stay on schedule.
Always a lot to improve on. Always excited to play, always excited to start,” Little said.
“This is the NFL so that never goes away and it’s a big deal.”
In Houston, the headline is Marvin Harrison Jr.’s arrival, and GM Nick Caserio said the Texans had the deal done before Sunday’s win over the Titans ever kicked off. He pushed back on any idea the result changed the move.
“What happened in the game had zero bearing on the outcome,” Caserio said, via TexansWire. “Like, we’re not going to agree to something and then see what happens in a game and then back out of it.”
The move brings Harrison back together with C.J. Stroud, his former Ohio State teammate. Stroud called him a “dynamic player,” and he didn’t hold back on the praise for the receiver’s game or his work ethic.
“ He’s a dynamic playmaker,” Stroud said. “Somebody who runs great routes, someone who can catch really any ball, and I’m just super excited to get with him.
I loved him in college. He’s probably the hardest worker I’ve ever been around in my life.”
Houston also got some encouraging news on the injury front. Tom Pelissero reported that Jalen Pitre has an AC joint sprain and is week-to-week, while Aaron Wilson said he won’t need surgery and won’t go on injured reserve.
The Texans have also opened the door for Tank Dell to return from injured reserve. DeMeco Ryans said Dell is moving well in practice and noted the team still has a window to decide when to activate him.
“We’ll keep an eye on Tank to get him as comfortable as he can be. He’s working himself back, really well.
Looking fast, making decisive cuts. We’ll see how that timeline works.
We have 21 days.” (Aaron Wilson)
Ryans also said the Texans want to make sure Harrison is comfortable if and when he gets on the field, and that they won’t overload him right away.
“What is he able to pick up on? We’ll make sure it’s as easy as possible for him.
Don’t expect him to play all 60 snaps. Make sure he has what he needs and he’s confident in what we need him to do.”
(Wilson)
Aaron Wilson of KPRC also reported the Texans are expected to bring back linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. after the London game following his release on Thursday.
In Tennessee, Cam Ward isn’t backing off from the challenge of trying to pull the Titans into winning territory. The rookie quarterback said he understands the job came with the kind of rebuild that doesn’t happen overnight, but he still believes the group can turn things around.
“ I (got) to go to an organization that didn’t have the wins, the championships that everybody has, ” Ward said, via the team’s website. “ And I get to be a part of it when we get a chance to turn it around. ”
Ward said the NFL grind makes nothing easy, and he put the responsibility on everyone in the building to raise the standard.
“ It’s not going to be easy - we’re in the NFL, ” he said. “ We are the one percent for a reason.
But I think it would be different if we executed plays, if I executed plays, at a high level, if everyone in the building executed at a high level. We are all in this together.”
Even with the start Tennessee has had, Ward said he still sees more good football ahead.
“ We know what we are capable of doing, and we are not meeting our expectations, ” Ward said. “ But we have a lot of games left.
… At the end of the day, we have to play better on Sundays to get the results that we want. ”
In Other News...
Texans Arrive In London With A Problem Jaguars Can Exploit
Houston is heading to London with some notable holes, and that matters for Jacksonville in a game that already has plenty of intrigue. Tank Dell is out, David Montgomery is out, and Jalen Pitre is out, leaving the Texans shorthanded on both sides of the ball as they prepare to face a Jaguars team that has leaned on its passing game.
For Jacksonville, the matchup now looks even more favorable on paper. The missing pieces in Houston's secondary and skill-position group could force the Texans to adjust quickly, and that is not an ideal assignment against a Jaguars offense that has shown it can make defenses pay through the air. It is the kind of early-week development that can quietly shape how this game gets played once the teams get to London. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Trade Talk Around A Core Piece Says A Lot Right Now
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the Jaguars are getting a familiar kind of attention around a roster that still has a few pieces other teams would love to pry loose. Brian Thomas Jr. sits at the center of that conversation as a deep-threat receiver who changes how defenses line up, while Arik Armstead remains one of the more important voices and bodies on a defense that has needed it. Patrick Mekari also hangs in the mix as a veteran offensive lineman whose value is easy to see, especially with injuries testing the front.
What makes the discussion interesting is not just who could draw calls, but what it says about where Jacksonville thinks it stands right now. Teams do not start weighing moves like this unless they believe certain players can help shape the long view, and the Jaguars have to balance that against being competitive in the moment. Even if Armstead feels unlikely to go and Mekari's appeal is tied to need up front, the fact that Thomas is even part of the conversation shows how thin the line can be between building around a core piece and listening when the phone rings. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Still Have One Trade Need As Deadline Pressure Builds
The Chiefs have opened the season in strong shape, but the injury hit at wide receiver has kept one need hanging over their roster as the trade deadline approaches. Kansas City is being linked to Jacksonvilles Brian Thomas Jr. as a possible answer, a name that makes sense on paper because of the upside he would bring and the urgency the Chiefs feel to add help on the perimeter.
For Jacksonville, the idea would be hard to justify unless the offer became impossible to ignore. Thomas has not been as productive as expected, but the Jaguars are not showing much interest in moving him, even with Kansas Citys need growing and a second-round pick floated as the kind of return that could get talks moving. The closer the deadline gets, the more this becomes the sort of rumor that says as much about the Chiefs problem as it does about the Jaguars plans. [Read more 🡒]