Tag: Evan Engram

Jaguars vs. Texans: Friday injury reports and game statuses

Jaguars vs. Texans: Friday injury reports and game statuses

The Jaguars and Texans have deemed a combined six players questionable and five players out of their Week 4, AFC South matchup in Houston.

Jacksonville will be without starting tight end Evan Engram for a third consecutive game, and starting linebacker Foyesade Oluokun for the first of what is expected to be several weeks.

Additionally, three starting Jaguars — wide receiver Gabe Davis, linebacker Devin Lloyd and safety Darnell Savage Jr. — enter the weekend questionable. So does Savage’s backup, Jarrian Jones.

Houston similarly won’t have a pair of starters available Sunday, wide receiver Tank Dell and safety Jimmie Ward. Starting running back Joe Mixon enters the game questionable while his backup, Dameon Pierce, is out.

However, star Texans receiver Nico Collins intends to play after joining the injury report on Thursday.

Find Jacksonville and Houston’s Friday injury reports and initial game statuses for Week 4 below.

* indicates status upgrade from the previous practice

Jaguars injury report

  • OL Cam Robinson (knee) — full*
  • OL Anton Harrison (knee) — full*
  • CB Montaric Brown (chest) — full*
  • RB Tank Bigsby (shoulder) — limited
  • WR Gabe Davis (shoulder) — limited
  • LB Devin Lloyd (knee) — limited*
  • CB Jarrian Jones (shoulder) — limited
  • S Darnell Savage Jr. (quadriceps) — limited
  • TE Evan Engram (hamstring) — did not participate
  • DL Arik Armstead (veteran rest) — did not participate
  • LB Foyesade Oluokun (foot) — did not participate

Jaguars game statuses

  • WR Gabe Davis: QUESTIONABLE
  • LB Devin Lloyd: QUESTIONABLE
  • CB Jarrian Jones: QUESTIONABLE
  • S Darnell Savage Jr.: QUESTIONABLE
  • TE Evan Engram: OUT
  • LB Foyesade Oluokun: OUT

Texans injury report

  • WR Nico Collins (hamstring) — full*
  • TE Dalton Schultz (ankle) — full
  • OL Kenyon Green (illness) — full
  • OL Jarrett Patterson (calf) — full
  • RB Joe Mixon (ankle) — limited*
  • DT Folorunso Fatukasi (shoulder) — limited
  • RB Dameon Pierce (hamstring) — did not participate
  • WR Tank Dell (chest) — did not participate
  • S Jimmie Ward (groin) — did not participate

Texans game statuses

  • RB Joe Mixon: QUESTIONABLE
  • DT Folorunso Fatukasi: QUESTIONABLE
  • RB Dameon Pierce: OUT
  • WR Tank Dell: OUT
  • S Jimmie Ward: OUT

Texans vs. Jaguars: Jacksonville TE Evan Engram likely out Sunday

While the Houston Texans might be without Tank Dell, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be without their star tight end.

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.

https://twitter.com/jjones9/status/1839675887345684855

“With a hamstring like that, they’re finicky; let’s call it that,” Pederson told reporters. “It’ll be a long shot.”

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.”
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1839676661396345004
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.

Evan Engram is ‘a long shot’ to play vs. Texans on Sunday

Evan Engram is likely to miss his 3rd straight game because of a hamstring injury suffered pre-game in Week 2

The Jacksonville Jaguars will likely be without top tight end Evan Engram once again on Sunday. Doug Pederson told reporters on Friday that Engram is “a long shot” to play against the Houston Texans this week because of a hamstring injury he suffered in warmups back in Week 2.

“With a hamstring like that, they’re finicky, let’s call it that. So he’ll be a long shot,” Pederson said.

Brenton Strange has filled in for Engram at tight end, catching a touchdown pass in the Jaguars’ loss to the Bills on Monday night. The good news is that Engram could be available in Week 5, according to Pederson.

The coach said “next week looks promising” for Engram, so he could be back against the Colts next Sunday afternoon.

In the opener, Engram caught just one pass for 5 yards, the only game he’s played so far this season.

Pederson updates Jaguars’ injuries vs. Bills; Engram, Savage

Pederson updates Jaguars’ injuries vs. Bills; Engram, Savage

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson shared a handful of injury updates Tuesday following Jacksonville’s 47-10 loss at Buffalo in Week 3, for four players who went down against the Bills and two who missed the game after getting hurt earlier in the season.

Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (foot), right tackle Anton Harrison (knee), rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones (shoulder) and wide receiver Gabe Davis (shoulder) each left the Monday Night Football at different times.

Pederson suggested Oluokun’s situation is more serious than the others but that each player would be evaluated on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis.

“Jarrian is kind of as tolerated with his shoulder. Everything medically this morning, his check-up and things were good. It’s just going to be as tolerated with him,” Pederson explained. “Anton, again it’s his knee, same one he injured the week before. He’s just going to be day-to-day this week, so we’ve got to be careful with him and make sure he’s feeling good going into Sunday.

“Gabe, you know, his shoulder at the end, it’s just something that he’s, again, day-to-day but should be fine, you know, for the game. And then Foye, it’s his foot. His is probably more week-to-week right now, and you know, there is a chance that he misses this football game.”

Oluokun leads the Jaguars with 22 tackles through three games, including one sack and three tackles for loss, He has also defended two passes.

Harrison, Jacksonville’s first-round NFL draft pick last year, missed one play against Cleveland in Week 2 due to his hurt knee. He took the field for 47 of the Jaguars’ 71 offensive snaps against the Bills in Week 3.

Jones, who has filled in for injured safety/nickel cornerback Darnell Savage Jr. over the last two weeks, has tallied six tackles to begin his debut NFL campaign. He hurt his shoulder while tackling Buffalo running back James Cook on Jacksonville’s first defensive series of the game.

Davis experienced a shoulder injury in the matchup’s final minutes after catching two passes for 18 yards.

Pederson shared that Savage (quadriceps) should return to action in Week 4 against Houston after being sidelined against Cleveland and Buffalo. After signing a three-year, $21.8 million free-agent contract with Jacksonville in March, Savage tallied two pass breakups in his Jaguars debut versus Miami.

Pederson did not express as much confidence in tight end Evan Engram’s availability, however, after he, like Savage missed Weeks 2-3. Engram caught one pass for four yards in Week 1.

“It’ll be close, it’ll be close. But again, a short week. I don’t want to risk anything with Evan. We’ll see. We’ll see tomorrow where he’s at and go from there,” said Pederson. “But we should have Savage back this week, which will be good.”

Jaguars vs. Bills: Inactive lists

Jaguars vs. Bills: Inactive lists

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills have finalized their inactive lists ahead of Monday Night Football in Orchard Park, New York.

The Jaguars scratched seven players, including injured starters, tight end Evan Engram and safety Darnell Savage Jr., after elevating tight end Josiah Deguara and cornerback Christian Braswell from their practice squad on Monday.

The Bills made five players inactive, including, like the Jaguars, two injured starters: Linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Taron Johnson.

Find Jacksonville and Buffalo’s Week 3 inactive lists below.

Jaguars inactive list

  • TE Evan Engram
  • OL Javon Foster
  • OL Cole Van Lanen
  • DE Myles Cole
  • DT Esezi Otomewo
  • DT Jordan Jefferson
  • S Darnell Savage Jr.

Analysis: As expected, Engram (hamstring) and Savage (quadriceps) will each miss their second consecutive game.

Notably, rookie defensive lineman and Jacksonville’s second-round pick in the NFL draft, Maason Smith, is active after being a healthy scratch in Week 2.

Seventh-round rookie defensive end Myles Cole is inactive after appearing in Weeks 1-2 and logging 25 total snaps. Fourth-round rookies, offensive tackle Javon Foster and defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson, are healthy scratches for the third game in a row.

Backup offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen and reserve defensive tackle Esezi Otomewo will not dress. Otomewo was active in Week 2 and recorded two assisted tackles.

Bills inactive list

  • OT Ryan Van Demark
  • LB Terrel Bernard
  • LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
  • CB Taron Johnson
  • S Mike Edwards

Analysis: Bernard (pectoral) and Johnson (forearm) were both ruled out by Bills head coach Sean McDermott on Wednesday.

Expected to start in place of Bernard and Johnson are Baylon Spector at linebacker and Cam Lewis at nickel corner.

Key matchups for Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills

Key matchups for Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills

After starting the regular season 0-2, the Jacksonville Jaguars look to get in the win column for the first time this year as they travel to Buffalo for Monday Night Football in Week 3. 

This week the Jaguars are still searching for their identity on offense and are currently facing scrutiny for their inconsistent offensive execution and play-calling. This could prove detrimental in trying to keep up with the Bills, which feature one of the powerhouse offenses in the AFC, led by quarterback Josh Allen.

Week 3 of the regular season is now a must-win for the Jaguars and they must prove they can contend with top teams in the conference like the Bills. Finding their offensive identity and consistency will be key, and if they fail to do so at this crucial point of the season on the national stage, it will become fair to wonder if their issues can be fixed this year.

With that in mind, Jaguars Wire is here to identify three key matchups for Jacksonville’s Week 3 road matchup against Buffalo, which the Jaguars must win to avoid digging themselves into a deeper hole. 

Jaguars WR Christian Kirk vs. Bills’ linebackers and slot cornerback

Through two games, the Jaguars starting slot receiver has just two catches on seven targets for 29 yards. While it is early in the season, Kirk’s lack of significant targets has been concerning, especially amid Jacksonville’s offensive struggles. 

Yet, Monday night presents an opportunity for Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor and head coach Doug Pederson to get Kirk heavily involved in the offensive game plan.

The Bills’ man coverage rate this season is just 20 percent as they remain a zone-heavy, two-high safety team that will leave plenty of green grass. That creates an advantage for Kirk, who has a knack for identifying the soft spots in zone coverage. 

A top target in the middle of the field for quarterback Trevor Lawrence over the last two seasons, Kirk led the Jaguars with 1,108 receiving yards in 2022 and was on track for over 1,000 in 2023 before a Week 13, year-ending injury. He has proven productive and effective with an average target separation of over three yards in the last two seasons.

With linebacker Terrel Bernard and nickel corner Taron Johnson out for Monday night’s bout, Buffalo could be thin at both spots, meaning Jacksonville could open up its passing game with Kirk as the focal point.

Baylon Spector and Cam Lewis are expected to start in place of Bernard and Johnson, respectively.

Jacksonville’s defense vs. Buffalo’s offense

While the Jaguars’ offense has sputtered to this point, Jacksonville’s defense is respectable, and daring in coverage.

According to Next Gen Stats, Jacksonville aligned its outside corners in press coverage on 36 percent of snaps. That is the fourth-highest mark in the league, showing that defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen trusts his corners on an island.

The unit deploys Cover 1 coverage 53% of the time, per Hayden Winks, despite the absence of cornerback Tyson Campbell. Nielsen utilizes broad man coverage on 52.6 percent of opposing dropbacks, the highest rate in the NFL.

Thus far, passers are averaging 6.5 passing yards per play against the Jaguars, ranking No. 21 in the league. Quarterbacks are struggling to score through the air against Jacksonville, though, as Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson combined to throw for one touchdown in Weeks 1-2.

Jacksonville’s man coverage will be tested against arguably the best NFL signal-caller not named Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and his offensive coordinator Joe Brady on Monday night.

Next Gen Stats show Allen producing the lowest air yards per attempt of his career at 7.4 this season, despite his career-high 73.8% completion percentage through the first two games. This shows that Brady is allowing Allen to distribute the ball around the offense and trusting receivers to compete after the catch.

Considering how difficult Allen is to defend as both a passer and runner, there’s a possibility Nielsen could veer off his man coverage path and play more zone this week. Perhaps it is unlikely given his tendencies as a play-caller, but this is something to keep in mind ahead of Monday night.

Not only will Allen present a tough task, but so will tight end Dalton Kincaid, running back James Cook and receiver Khalil Shakir. The latter owns the highest catch rate of all wide receivers in the league at 88.7 percent.

If Jacksonville can force Allen into bad decisions against its man-heavy defense and limit his rushing opportunities, the Jaguars’ struggling offense should obtain more opportunities to find a rhythm compared to previous games.

Jacksonville’s offense vs. Buffalo’s defense 

While Kirk could be the focus of the Jaguars’ passing offense against the Bills, the unit must perform better situationally across the board in its attempt to establish an identity of any sort.

It starts up front. Lawrence’s protection must improve Monday night against a strong Bills pass rush featuring Von Miller and Gregory Rousseau.

Lawrence has been sacked on a league-high 11.5 percent of dropbacks this season, according to Next Gen Stats. Perhaps Lawrence is responsible for some of the pressure he has faced, but Pro Football Focus dings Jacksonville’s offensive line for allowing six of the seven sacks he has taken.

Next Gen Stats also notes the Jaguars own the third-worst time to pressure in the NFL in 2024, 2.57 seconds.

While explosive plays have occasionally popped up from the likes of running back Travis Etienne Jr. and rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr, the Jaguars must do a better job of winning on early downs to make third downs more manageable and become less reliant on chunk gains.

Jacksonville has converted just over 26% of its third-down attempts, the fifth-worst mark in the league ahead of Denver, Atlanta, Cleveland and Carolina. The offense will sail much smoother if it can improve drastically in this area.

The Jaguars will be without versatile tight end Evan Engram again this week after suffering a hamstring injury during pregame warmups last Sunday. His absence is why Kirk will be the X-factor for the Jaguars’ passing offense, paired with the Bills’ top linebacker and nickel cornerback out. 

Pederson cannot afford his team to fall to a 0-3 record. His defense is capable of helping win games, but it is Jacksonville’s offense, Pederson’s bread and butter, costing the Jaguars the most.

That has to change on Monday night.

Pederson: Jaguars TE Evan Engram ‘probably’ out vs. Bills

Pederson: Jaguars TE Evan Engram ‘probably’ out vs. Bills

Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson on Saturday cast doubt on tight end Evan Engram being available for the Jaguars’ Week 3, Monday Night Football matchup in Buffalo against the Bills.

Engram suffered a hamstring injury in the hours before Jacksonville hosted Cleveland on Sunday, forcing him out of the contest.

“Evan, probably not going to make it,” Pederson said. “He tried this week, just not there yet. Hopefully next week, we’ll see.”

Pederson added that Engram likely will not travel with the team to Buffalo and instead remain in Jacksonville to continue treatment for his injury.

Engram caught one pass for five yards in Jacksonville’s season-opener at Miami on Sept. 8, an uncharacteristic performance for the tight end following his 114-reception, 963-yard, four-touchdown campaign with the Jaguars in 2023.

Through just over two seasons with the club, Engram has caught 188 passes for 1,734 yards and eight touchdowns.

Pederson also provided an update on starting Jaguars safety Darnell Savage Jr., who missed Week 2 and has been limited in practice this week due to a quadriceps injury.

“Darnell, we’ll give him one more day, today. See if he can push through it. Don’t want to risk anything further, but we’ll see where he’s at the end of the day,” Pederson said.

Savage, who signed a three-year, $21.8 million free-agent deal with the Jaguars in March, tallied two defended passes in his debut with Jacksonville, against Miami in Week 1.

Starting offensive tackle Cam Robinson (knee) and running back Tank Bigsby (shoulder) are slated to play in Week 3, per Pederson.

Doug Pederson updates injuries for two Jaguars starters ahead of MNF

Doug Pederson updates injuries for two Jaguars starters ahead of MNF

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson shared injury updates for starting tight end Evan Engram and safety/nickel cornerback Darnell Savage Jr. ahead of Jacksonville’s first practice of Week 3 before traveling to Buffalo for Monday Night Football.

Engram, who suffered a hamstring injury in the hours before kickoff in Week 2 against Cleveland, was considered “week-to-week” by Pederson on Monday. While the head coach tweaked Engram’s status to “day-by-day” Thursday, he indicated the tight end is not quite ready for a return to action.

“Evan, right now, he’s a little bit further away,” Pederson said. “So, you know, we’ll have to take it kind of day-by-day right now with him.”

Engram caught one pass for four yards in Jacksonville’s season-opener against Miami in Week 1. Starting in his place versus Cleveland was second-year Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange, who caught a career-high three passes for 65 yards on Sunday.

Pederson complimented Strange’s performance Thursday, suggesting it served as a confidence booster for the 23-year-old.

“I think it was big for Brenton. You know, that’s the type of player we know that he is, that he’s capable of being,” Pederson said. “He did some really good things, played well. Played physical too in the run game, which was good to see and he’s done that since he’s been here.

“So it just adds more to his confidence, obviously, and [he] just continues to I think grow with the offense and gets more opportunities.”

Savage also missed Jacksonville’s Week 2 matchup with Cleveland, after suffering a quadriceps injury in last Thursday’s practice that led the Jaguars to rule him out Friday.

Pederson suggested Savage will return to practice in some fashion on Thursday after not participating late last week.

“Sav, we’re going to work back into practice a little bit today and sort of get him progressed,” Pederson said. “So hopefully he is available [for Week 3].”

Without Savage available against the Browns, Andre Cisco and Antonio Johnson started the game at safety while the Jaguars’ defense operated in a 4-3 base to begin the contest.

Additionally, Jacksonville elevated cornerback Christian Braswell from its practice squad after deeming Savage out of Week 2. Braswell did not appear defensively against Cleveland, although he logged five special teams snaps.

Savage, who signed a three-year, $21.8 million free-agent contract with the Jaguars in March, tallied two defended passes in his Jacksonville debut against Miami.

Jaguars could be without top pass catcher on ‘Monday Night Football’ vs. Bills

Jaguars could be without top pass catcher on ‘Monday Night Football’ vs. Bills

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram injured his hamstring during pregame warmups for Week 2 game against the Cleveland Browns. He was forced to miss the game.

Now, his health is in question for the Monday Night Football game against the Buffalo Bills.

As of now, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has labeled the injury as week-to-week.

“It was significant enough to keep him out and hold him out of the football game [in Week 2],” Pederson said on Monday. “We’ll see where he is this week… hamstrings can be funny, so it’s kind of a week-to-week deal right now with him.”

The Jaguars looked out of sorts in Week 2’s loss to the Browns, especially on offense. They couldn’t consistently move the ball no matter what they tried.

In their defense, they were missing their top pass-catcher from last year, and they lost him right before kickoff. In 2023, Engram led the team in both targets (143) and receptions (114). He also posted the best catch percentage on the team (79.7%) among those with at least 15 catches.

Engram, a 30-year-old product out of Ole Miss, has been Trevor Lawrence’s favorite target to start the young quarterback’s career. If Engram remains out for Monday Night Football, Lawrence will rely on tight end Brenton Strange to step up, and will look for receivers like Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk, and Brian Thomas Jr. to make some more catches.

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Doug Pederson talks next steps after Jaguars TE Evan Engram’s injury

Doug Pederson talks next steps after Jaguars TE Evan Engram’s injury

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson shed light on the pre-game hamstring injury tight end Evan Engram suffered before Jacksonville hosted Cleveland in Week 2, suggesting his status for the club’s Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup at Buffalo is currently up in the air.

“It was significant enough to keep him out, hold him out of the football game yesterday,” Pederson said Monday. “We’ll see where he is this week. [I’m] optimistic but we’ve just got to see. Hamstrings can be funny. So, it’s kind of a week-to-week deal right now with him.”

News of Engram’s injury, which Pederson noted occurred before Jacksonville’s pre-game warmups as the tight end loosened up for the game, broke minutes after the Jaguars revealed their inactive list.

Engram was not on the report, leaving the team with two tight ends available against Cleveland, Brenton Strange and Luke Farrell. Strange started the game and caught three of his six targets for 65 yards, while Farrell caught two-of-two for 13 yards in a rotational capacity.

Pederson acknowledged Engram’s last-minute sidelining was unnerving for the Jaguars as they prepared to face the Browns, noting the leadership position he occupies in his third season with the team.

But Pederson did not consider Engram’s absence substantial in how it impacted Jacksonville’s offense, which scored 10 points and managed only 109 yards through the first three quarters of the 18-13 loss, other than Cleveland did not deploy certain coverages as often as the Jaguars anticipated in their original gameplan.

“Obviously when you lose a player like Evan, it can definitely take a little wind out of your sails, just a little bit. He’s a leader, he’s obviously a starter, he’s a captain. I mean, it’s a big loss. But that’s the thing: We could have lost him in pre-game, we could have lost him in the first play of the game, and you’ve got to continue to play. We can’t let things like that affect us…

“But as far as the game yesterday, I don’t think it necessarily affected us as much. Maybe a little more big nickel or three safety type that the Browns could have presented with Evan on the field, you know, with two tight ends. But other than that, it didn’t really affect us too much.”

Engram led Jacksonville with 114 receptions last year, the second-most in a single season in franchise history behind wide receiver Jimmy Smith’s in 1999. Through two seasons and one game with the Jaguars, Engram has caught 188 passes for 1,734 yards and eight touchdowns.

In the event Engram can not play against Buffalo and beyond, Jacksonville will likely look to its practice squad for a third tight end, with veteran Josiah Deguara and undrafted rookie Shawn Bowman currently part of that unit.

“It’s always been a next-man-up mentality and that’s something that we continue to preach. You know, we’re going to continue to keep that rolling,” Pederson said.

“If we bring somebody up, you know, Josiah or Shawn off the practice squad this week, if that’s the case then we’ve got to get them ready to go.”