Jaguars' Rookie Walker Little Placed on COVID-19 List
It has not been a good start for the Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie class.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has struggled in his first two games, running back Travis Etienne injured his foot during the preseason, and now the team is expected to be without another member of its heralded rookie class.
The team announced that offensive tackle Walker Little has been placed on the COVID-19 list.
Little has been inactive for the team's first two games, and his status for this weekend's game is up in the air after he tested positive for the coronavirus.
When crafting the roster for the team's season opener against the Houston Texans last week, head coach Urban Meyer opted to make Little a healthy scratch.
"I was really—like my mind always does, I go right to that, ‘Who do they have at returner?’ If you want to lose a game fast, not cover," Meyer said. "So, that was where we spent a lot of time on Walker [Little], well, I think it’s eight linemen. And we just felt like [Will] Richardson has been more consistent than Walker [Little] right now.”
Little's omission from the field is odd considering how the Jaguars are a rebuilding team, but the offensive line has struggled in its first two games.
Lawrence has been hit by pass rushers seven times through two games and the team has only seen the red zone on one drive so far this season.
With Little out, it forces Jacksonville to remain with its current configuration on the offensive line and it likely pushes Little's debut even further into the future as he'll miss much-needed practice reps to prove that he should play in games.
"Both those guys are close. Both those guys just keep getting better in practice. Both the two guys you mentioned are trending positively. Those guys are every week in consideration to move up," Meyer said about Little and fellow rookie Jay Tufele.
"But those two are good names that are coming up the ranks.”
