The Jacksonville Jaguars will begin their season opener at home against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field.
Jacksonville will be going into the game with a few key injuries according to the current official team injury report.
- Offensive tackle Cam Robinson (doubtful)
- Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus (questionable)
- Offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi (out)
- Tight end Josh Oliver (out)
All of the four players above are expected to miss Week 1’s game aside from Dareus, who has a 50/50 chance to play with a “questionable” status. Kansas City looks to be relatively healthy on their side with only a couple of players in Xavier Williams and Jordan Lucas who were deemed “questionable.”
While Jaguars coach Doug Marrone has only formally announced Will Richardson as the replacement for offensive tackle Cam Robinson, here is a closer look at the other possible replacements for the Jaguars:
Offensive tackle/guard Will Richardson
Will Richardson will be starting for Cam Robinson. Richardson has extremely limited NFL experience after spending last year on injured reserve with a nagging knee injury. Richardson is initially listed on the Jaguars official depth chart at left guard, but due to Robinson’s knee injury, he will have to play left tackle.
He excelled at North Carolina State recording second-team All-ACC honors and a 99.3 pass protection grade from Pro Football Focus. This will be his true first test at the NFL level.
DTs Dontavius Russell and Taven Bryan
If veteran defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is unable to play Sunday, then Jags coach Doug Marrone seemed to indicate that it could be rookie Dontavius Russell playing in the veteran’s spot. Russell, who was a seventh-round pick in April, had an under-the-radar preseason and camp and Marrone praised him last month as a result.
This is worth mentioning because Taven Bryan is listed as Dareus’ backup on the unofficial depth chart as a three-technique, while Russell is listed at the backup nose tackle position. That could tell fans all they need to know about the Jags’ disappointment in Bryan who struggled in the offseason, or it could mean Abry Jones will be switching to the three-technique temporarily, while Russell will play at nose tackle. Ultimately, we’ll have to see what happens on game day, but the Jags clearly like the rookie.
Offensive lineman Tyler Shatley and Brandon Thomas
In this particular scenario, the replacement player is not a starter. Backup offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi is listed as “out” for the matchup against Chiefs.
With the Jags electing not to sign anyone off practice squad or a free agent, they may use veteran Tyler Shatley or Brandon Thomas as their emergency backup tackles. Shatley, in particular, has a lot of experience and has been with the team since 2014 and has also spent time at left guard.
Tight end James O’Shaughnessy
Like Ogbuehi, this pick also comes from replacing a player that is a reserve player. In this case, that would be covering for reserve tight end Josh Oliver, who is out with a hamstring injury.
The Jaguars have a two tight end set listed on their unofficial depth chart with Geoff Swaim listed as a starter, but if need be, Oliver’s replacement would be James O’Shaughnessy.
O’Shaughnessy is more of a blocking threat, but does possess good hands based off the limited action in which he saw the field in 2018 where he accumulated 214 receiving yards on 24 receptions which is good for 8.9 yards per catch.
The team will look to utilize those two tight end sets as Leonard Fournette is still the focal point of the Jaguars’ offense, and with the offensive line still trying to get healthy, quarterback Nick Foles will need all the help he can get in staying upright.
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