Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Josh Oliver suffered a broken foot Sunday according to head coach Doug Marrone who met with the media Monday morning. This unfortunate news comes a year after he missed a majority of his rookie season, too, suffering a hamstring injury in camp and a back injury in the regular season.
WATCH LIVE: Head Coach Doug Marrone meets with the media. https://t.co/v8AtRjsgkw
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) August 17, 2020
Per Marrone, Oliver’s injury was a non-contact one and it occurred while he was simply running during practice. Marrone also announced that he’ll have surgery on Tuesday, but didn’t offer a time table on his return or discuss the severity.
Oliver was a player Marrone mentioned last week, stating that he was eager to see the second-year tight end’s development after he came into camp with a new and improved physique. He was set to help the Jags at a position that was considered a huge need to start the offseason, however, another veteran will now have to step up.
With Oliver set to miss the beginning of the season, the Jags have five tight ends on the roster still. Leading the way will be Tyler Eifert, who has injury concerns of his own (has missed 53 regular season games). However, it’s worth noting he participated in every game for the Cincinnati Bengals last season, and hopefully, that’s the case in 2020.
The team recently got James O’Shaughnessy back from the Active/Reserve list this month, too, after he tore his ACL last season against the Carolina Panthers (Week 5). But again, when looking at the positives, he was a favorite target of Gardner Minshew when healthy.
Behind the two veterans, the Jags have rookie sixth-round pick Tyler Davis, undrafted rookie Ben Ellefson, and second-year player Charles Jones. Of the three, Davis should be the one who benefits from Oliver’s absence the most, but only time will tell how the Jags move forward at the position.
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