The Jacksonville Jaguars will be short-handed in a few spots Sunday against the Houston Texans, but the most notable name on the inactive list is safety Jalen Huskey.
Jacksonville announced seven players will sit out its Week 6 AFC South matchup: cornerback Montaric Brown, wide receiver CJ Williams, safety Jalen Huskey, cornerback Jaylon Jones, long snapper Ross Matiscik, defensive end Wesley Williams and defensive tackle Albert Regis.
Huskey’s absence stands out because he finally got on the field last week against the Philadelphia Eagles after spending the season’s first month inactive. That opportunity came with Caleb Ransaw on injured reserve and Eric Murray out against Philadelphia.
Murray is back Sunday for his first game with the Jaguars against his former team, which pushed Huskey further down the safety depth chart. Still, Huskey did not just slide back - he’s out entirely, with Jacksonville choosing Kaevon Merriweather, who had been on the practice squad, over the No. 100 pick.
Last week, Huskey did not play a defensive snap against the Eagles and logged only a few special teams reps. Rayuan Lane started next to Antonio Johnson, while Merriweather handled the No. 3 safety role.
Now, even with Ransaw still unavailable, Huskey is a healthy scratch. The message is pretty clear: this has the feel of a red-shirt year, and Huskey may be more of a name to circle for 2027.
The Jaguars are also leaning on a few rookies in the other direction. Three of their first five draft picks are inactive again, with Huskey, Regis and Williams all sitting. The rookies in line to play are second-rounder Nate Boerkircher, third-round guard Emmanuel Pregnon, fifth-round tight end Tanner Koziol and sixth-round wide receiver Josh Cameron.
Brown’s absence is another hit at cornerback. He’ll miss his second game in the last three weeks after being limited to six snaps against the Eagles because of a hamstring injury. That leaves Jacksonville set to rely on Travis Hunter, Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones.
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