The Jaguars are entering Week 6 with a growing injury list and several names worth watching before Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Texans.
Jacksonville had two players miss Wednesday’s practice: long snapper Ross Matiscik, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, and cornerback Montaric Brown, who is working through a hamstring issue. The team responded earlier this week by signing long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer to the practice squad, giving itself an option at the spot after Matiscik was hurt early in last week’s game against the Eagles.
Brown’s situation looks especially shaky. He sat out Week 4 with a hamstring injury, returned against Philadelphia last week, but played only six snaps before exiting again. At this point, the Jaguars appear to be preparing as if they may not have him available against Houston.
The list of limited participants was longer. Tight end Nate Boerkircher, right tackle Cole Van Lanen, rookie guard Emmanuel Pregnon, cornerbacks Jarrian Jones, Jourdan Lewis and Jaylon Jones, and safety Eric Murray were all limited.
Some of those names are familiar from recent reports. Jones, Lewis and Jaylon Jones were limited last week too, so there wasn’t much movement there.
Murray, though, remains the biggest watch item. He was limited for most of last week’s work, then missed Sunday’s game against the Eagles after suffering a concussion in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rayuan Lane started in his place, and former practice squad safety Kaevon Merriweather also saw a meaningful jump in snaps.
“Yeah, I think we'll see today and tomorrow, be able to see him run around a little bit, see what that looks like, hopeful. But he hasn't been able to do a ton since last week," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said before practice on Wednesday from the United Kingdom.
"Eric just brings a calming confidence. Obviously, the communication being at a premium, it helps take some stuff off Antonio [S Antonio Johnson] as well, which I thought Antonio really stepped up last week and had one of his best games as a Jaguar in terms of just the playmaking, but also the communication and getting us right back there.
It's great to have Eric. He's a competitor, he's physical, he brings a standard to everything that we do in the back end, and obviously he's playing against his former team.”
Murray isn’t the only concern, though. Boerkircher and Pregnon were both added to the report, and both have mattered to what Jacksonville wants to do on offense. Pregnon has started every game at left guard this season, while Boerkircher has become a useful piece of the run game and a major part of the Jaguars’ 12 personnel looks.
That matters in a matchup with the Texans, who bring a physical, edge-setting front. Jacksonville could use every body it can get up front and in the tight end room as the week moves on.
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Chiefs Still Have One Trade Need As Deadline Pressure Builds
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Thomas has seen his performance slip, which is part of what makes him a speculative trade candidate in the first place, even if Jacksonville does not appear eager to move him. For the Jaguars, that leaves the situation pretty straightforward for now, but the market can change quickly when a contender is hunting for proven help and a second-round pick is part of the discussion. [Read more 🡒]