Marrone Updates the Progress of Minshew's Recovery Ahead of Steelers Game
For the first time in three weeks, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II has not been ruled out in the days ahead of Jacksonville's Sunday matchup.
The second-year passer is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with the thumb injury that has kept him on the sidelines since the bye week. Minshew will clearly not start, as head coach Doug Marrone said earlier in the week that he wouldn't be ready, but this could perhaps be a sign of his progress for the coming weeks.
"Yeah, just keep progressing," Marrone said Friday when asked about the expectations for Minshew for beyond Sunday.
"I mean, he’s throwing a little bit more. We just keep increasing it each day and then I think next week comes, we’ll just see where he’s at. He’s not 100 percent, which is why he’s listed as questionable, 50-50."
Through seven games this year, Minshew has completed 65.9% of his passes for 1,855 yards (6.9 yards per attempt) with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a 1-6 record as a starter this year and has missed the last two games with a thumb injury, the first time he has ever been inactive since the Jaguars drafted him.
As Marrone said on Friday, he would have an issue with putting Minshew in at quarterback as of today. Marrone has stressed throughout the last several weeks that he does not want Minshew to be officially back until he is 100%, making it little surprise the Jaguars are in no rush to put him back on the field.
"So, I would probably have an issue putting him in now, unless it was just to go in there and hand the ball off, or maybe a couple throws. But right now, it’s not 100 percent," Marrone said.
Luton, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has started the last two games for the Jaguars, both losses. He has completed 60.3% of his passes for 473 yards (6.5 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a rushing touchdown.
Luton has had flashes against the Houston Texans and the Green Bay Packers, but the 9-0 Steelers present an entirely different set of problems for the inexperienced and young signal-caller.
“I think so. I think you have to be," offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said Wednesday when asked if Luton is ready for Sunday.
"He started off his career already against Houston, a rivalry of this franchise, and he had to go up to Green Bay and face Aaron Rodgers in horrible, windy conditions for a quarterback. Now we just have to face the [9-0] Steelers, so it’ll be a great challenge for him, but I know he’s going to be ready to go. I think it’s very important for our entire offense to understand this challenge and really raise their game up, hopefully to a level we haven’t seen yet.”
