The Jacksonville Jaguars sustained a lot of injuries Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals and it could put them in an unfavorable situation Week 5 against their divisional rivals in the Houston Texans. One of those key injuries was a hamstring injury to nickelback D.J. Hayden, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, temporarily leaving the team without their most experienced defensive back.
Defensive coordinator Todd Wash discussed the option who will be playing in his spot in third-year corner Tre Herndon, who has spent a majority of his career with the Jags on the outside. Wash also stated that the team will play Sidney Jones and Chris Claybrooks on the outside as they did Sunday, but would also look at other corners on the roster, too.
“Well, yeah. Obviously, D.J. [Hayden] went on IR and all that kind of stuff this week. Our backup nickel situation has always been Tre [Herndon]. We move Tre in as you saw last week [against the Bengals] on tape and that’s what will Houston will see this week, so we’re not really giving out any secrets though we have a lot of work to do,” Wash said.
“You will see [Chris] Claybrooks on the outside and you will see Sidney [Jones] on the outside. We got some younger guys in the stable that we’re going to be able to take a look at obviously during the week and on Sunday. Houston has a lot of talented wide receivers, and in my opinion, they are about five deep. They’re doing some things to get all four or five of them on the field at the same time so we have to be able to match that athleticism and will get a look at some of our guys this week.”
Playing on the outside with Herndon was first-round rookie CJ Henderson, who also left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. It would be a huge help if he’s able to suit up as he’s registered four starts so far.
As for the other options the Jags have at corner, rookies Luq Barcoo and Josiah Scott are also on the roster if needed. Neither have participated in a game yet, however, it wouldn’t be shocking to see neither on the inactives list Sunday.
As for Hayden, he’ll have to miss three games before he returns from IR. That means he can’t return until after the Jags’ Nov. 1 meeting against the Los Angeles Chargers.