The Jacksonville Jaguars were already set to be without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a must-win Week 17 game vs. the Carolina Panthers. Now, they will be down a starting wide receiver, too.
Wide receiver Zay Jones was ruled inactive on Sunday afternoon, along with defensive lineman Angelo Blackson, offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen, outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah, and Lawrence.
Jones has now missed the last two games after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 15 vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Jones has also battled a knee injury throughout the season.
Without Jones in the lineup, the Jaguars' wide receiver room will be led by Calvin Ridley, Jamal Agnew, Parker Washington, Tim Jones, and Elijah Cooks. Tight end Evan Engram will also likely factor into the Jaguars' passing game in a big way.
"In terms of who catches what and where they’re aligned and all that, it really doesn’t matter. We utilize Evan in whatever role we see fit," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said this week about Engra,.
"He plays outside receiver, he plays single, he plays the one or the two, in three by one formations he plays all the way out at one. He just happens to be a tight end, we just view him as one of our five eligibles. The fact that he’s caught all these balls is a credit to him and the way he prepares and the way he works and the chemistry with the quarterbacks. I think one of the more impressive things is his catch percentage when he’s targeted. He’s got 98 catches, I think he has 130 targets which is pretty impressive numbers of when we’re throwing the ball to him, he’s catching it. He’s open, he’s just got a good chemistry with our quarterbacks so far.”
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