Jaguars vs. Eagles: Zay Jones Misses Thursday Practice With an Ankle Injury
The Jacksonville Jaguars got some bad injury news on Thursday afternoon as starting wide receiver Zay Jones was held out of practice with an ankle injury.
Jones, who wasn't on Wednesday's injury report, is one of two Jaguars who didn't practice on Thursday. Joining him was offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen (hamstring), while cornerback Shaquill Griffin was limited with a hip injury that sidelined him in Week 3.
The Jaguars have had relatively good injury luck this season, with Griffin being their first player to miss a game due to injury this season. But with Jones having an ankle injury flare up late in the week, the Jaguars could have a potential issue on their hands as they prepare to face the 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles.
Jones, who the Jaguars signed to a three-year, $24 million deal with $14 million in guarantees, leads the team in receptions (19), is second in receiving yards (173) and targets (24), while also being tied for second in receiving touchdowns after scoring his first touchdown in Week 3.
Jones had a solid performance for the Jaguars in last week's 38-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, leading the Jaguars' passing attack with 10 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. Jones has been a consistent piece of an improving Jaguars' passing attack, and the Jaguars' depth behind him is untested in second-year receiver Tim Jones.
While the potential loss of Jones against the Jaguars would mean a slightly easier day for the Eagles' secondary, it doesn't mean the matchup between Christian Kirk and the Eagles is about to change. Eagles cornerback Darius Slay has just one snap in the slot in 2022 and shouldn't be expected to follow Kirk, who has lined up in the slot for 76.9% of his snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
“It’ll be interesting. I had him. We brought him to Philadelphia and he is playing extremely well right now, a top defender, corner in this league, getting some turnovers and takeaways," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said about Slay this week.
"He matched receivers the last two weeks. The only thing that I would say is that he doesn’t necessarily go inside as, not a nickel, but a corner that goes inside if Christian were inside, but that’s something we’ve got to be aware of and understand where he’s going to be, maybe lean toward Zay a little bit on the outside, but a great player, got to understand where he’s at and how they want to use him.”
