The Houston Texans might be without star receiver Tank Dell Sunday at home, but the Jacksonville Jaguars will also be down a key offensive weapon.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson all but ruled out Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram for Sunday’s matchup at NRG Stadium. When asked out his status Friday morning, Pederson listed Engram as “doubtful.”
The former first-round pick suffered a strained hamstring during warmups before the team’s home opener against the Cleveland Browns. Engram didn’t play last week in a 47-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
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“With a hamstring like that, they’re finicky; let’s call it that,” Pederson told reporters. “It’ll be a long shot.”
Last season, Engram served as a security blanket for former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence en route to a career season. In 17 games, he caught h 114 passes for 963 yards and four touchdowns.
He had one reception for 5 yards in the Week 1 loss at Miami.
While Engram’s departure hurts the Jaguars, Dell’s potential absence stings for Houston’s passing game. The former third-round pick out of the University of Houston suffered a rib injury in Week 3’s loss at Minnesota and hasn’t practiced all week in preparation for Sunday’s showdown.
“We’re confident the guys we have that are going to step up,” Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said Thursday. “If Tank can’t go, it’s not really going to make anybody blink. It’s just next man up.”
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Last year as Houston’s No. 2 target, Dell caught 47 balls for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games before he broke his left fibula against the Denver Broncos in early December.
Albeit a slow start, he was coming off his best performance Sunday with a season-high five catches for 62 yards. Dell also factored into the run game, recording a pair of reverse handoffs for 17 and 18 yards against the Colts and Bears, respectively.