Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone got a chance to catch up with the media Tuesday morning at the NFL’s Annual Meeting and shared some interesting tidbits. Amongst the most important was the status of receiver Marqise Lee, who Marrone revealed he expects to be back “late in the preseason” from the knee injury he sustained Week 3 of the 2018 preseason.
Lee, 27, sustained the knee injury against the Atlanta Falcons (preseason Week 3) when defensive back Damontae Kazee inadvertently tackled him low while the veteran was trying to advance a pass thrown by quarterback Blake Bortles. He had surgery not too soon after and Marrone’s statements confirm what exactly what Lee meant in January when he told Jaguars.com that he had a “big” knee surgery and was going to take things slow in terms of his recovery.
The Jags brought Lee back on a four-year deal worth $38 million (with $18 million guaranteed) last offseason after losing Allen Robinson and releasing Allen Hurns. Due to his pending late preseason return, the team just might look to draft a receiver in the mid-rounds to help with depth through OTAs and training camp, although they recently signed Chris Conley this month. Ultimately, time will tell what the future holds for Lee, but it’s certainly good to hear that he’ll at least be able to return to football despite the recovery process being long.
