Jaguars Vs. Browns: Four Starters, Including Chark Out, While Shenault Returns
The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9) will be without four starters on Sunday versus the Cleveland Browns (7-3).
Wide receivers D.J. Chark Jr. (ribs) and Chris Conley (hip) will miss the game along with offensive lineman Andrew Norwell (forearm) and corner Sidney Jones Jr. (achilles). Running back Dare Ogunbowale (hand) is questionable.
Additionally, quarterback Gardner Minshew II is officially listed as questionable as he continues to recover from fractured bones and a torn ligament in his throwing hand.
Rookie passer Jake Luton has started the past three games in place of the injured Minshew. After a rough game on Sunday versus the Pittsburgh Steelers (16-37 for 151 yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions) Luton was pulled for Glennon. It will be Glennon’s first start since 2018.
On Wednesday, Head Coach Doug Marrone told reporters that the second-year Minshew felt fine, but he was hesitant to officially start him again just yet.
"I just feel like we can’t get enough throws in during this week. I want him to have a full week of full load of work before I put someone in there. I don’t have a problem with him backing up this week and if he has to go in for a quarter or half a game or whatever it may be if something happens with Mike [Glennon], then at least he’s available.”
Chark leads the Jaguars in targets, receptions, total yards, yards per game and yards per catch as well as plays of 20 plus yards downfield. He is tied with Keelan Cole for most receiving touchdowns (four). Chark missed the Week 3 loss to the Miami Dolphins as well with a back injury.
Conley has played in every game thus far and is third on the team in targets, total yards and plays of 20 plus yards. He has been starting in the slot receiver spot the last two games (Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers) while rookie slot receiver Laviska Shenault has dealt with a hamstring injury.
Shenault was not listed on the game injury report as being out and has been limited in practice this week but has participated. Marrone went as far to tell reporters on Friday that Shenault “is back.” If Shenault plays Sunday, it is likely he will resume his starting role, from which he has been averaging 40.4 yards per game and 10.8 per reception. Shenault also is used as an additional rusher and wildcat quarterback.
With Chark and Conley out, Marrone says they will turn more towards the second leading receiver, Cole, as well as Shenault and possibly even other names. The latter would require some roster moves.
“I mean obviously we have a plan, but you know, we’re comfortable with, you know, Keelan will be out there for us and obviously Laviska’s back and he had a good week; [rookie] Collin Johnson and then we'll probably make a move and bring someone up from our practice squad.
“[Fourth year practice squad receiver] Trey Quinn, you know, will come on up and you know maybe, we may even make a move later on to bring up a fifth receiver. We’d have to make a roster move to bring up, [second year practice squad receiver] Terry Godwin. So those are the things we're doing and we'll just go in there and try to execute the game plan we have in place.”
Godwin was active for both the Steelers and Packers games, but did not record any stats.
In addition to those out, the club officially placed defensive end Josh Allen, safety Daniel Thomas, corner D.J. Hayden and corner Chris Claybrooks on IR this week. Starter CJ Henderson is on IR as well, meaning three starting corners and the starting nickel (Hayden) will all be watching Sunday’s game from IR.
Marrone sees it as an opportunity for someone else to get a shot and prove what they can do themselves.
“I think you'd like to go and play, play well. I mean you look to these guys that are coming in there and see the opportunities that they have, you know guys that, you know, might not, you know, wouldn't have gotten these opportunities obviously if the other players were there so you know it's a chance to show what they can do, whether they should be in this league or not.”
Rookie’s Luq Barcoo and Josiah Scott will join Tre Herndon in the corner rotation.
The Jaguars kick off against the Browns at home on Sunday at 1pm EST.
