Jacksonville Plans to Gradually Prepare Nick Foles Following Injury
Prized free agent signing Nick Foles threw only eight passes and led only two offensive drives as the Jacksonville Jaguars' starting quarterback before he went down with a clavicle injury in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. But less than two months after the injury, he will begin his road back to the practice field.
“Yeah, we think we’ll be able to get him next Wednesday out at practice," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said Friday, indicating Foles' recovery could be right on track. The first game Foles would be eligible to return in would be a Week 11 game vs. the Indianapolis Colts.
Foles has been replaced in the lineup by sixth-round rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew as he recovers from surgery following his injury, with Minshew going 3-3 as a starter in relief of Foles thus far. The Jaguars will be faced with the decision of who to start under center once Week 11 comes around, but until then the team has a plan for Foles and his transition back onto the field
"We talked about it. When I say we I am talking about myself, Nick, (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) Flip, and (quarterbacks coach) Scott (Milanovich)," Marrone said Monday. "We have got time so we will kind of just gradually bring him back in there."
Marrone said the veteran quarterback has thrown some passes on the side recently, but if practices on Wednesday it will be his first time practicing in an official capacity since the week before the Chiefs game.
"I know he has been throwing on the side. I haven’t seen him throw, so I just want to make sure we are good with the reps and building it up and, you know, not trying to do too much too fast," Marrone said.
Marrone elaborated on some of the things Foles will be asked to do in his first week back at practice and as he said previously, it seems like the Jaguars are going to take his return gradually considering they have a few weeks until a decision has to be made.
"We will be smart this week and we will see how it progresses. But we have a pretty good plan," Marrone said. "He will probably throw scout team, seven-on-seven, do a lot of work on the side getting himself ready and then kind of see where he is at and increasing it as we go."
Foles, 30, signed a four-year, $88 million contract with Jacksonville this offseason. Minshew's steady performance in his absence has made some outsiders question the direction Jacksonville will take when Foles returns but for now, it appears the team is simply focused on the actual act of returning for their veteran quarterback.
