Why the Jaguars Desperately Need Brenton Strange Back

The Jacksonville Jaguars are inching closer to receiving important reinforcements for the final stretch of the regular season.

Starting tight end Brenton Strange has been out of action since Week 5, when he left the thrilling win against the Kansas City Chiefs with a hip injury, slotting him onto injured reserve. Now, over a month later, his return to the field is near. The offense has missed him, as have the coaches.

The impending return creates excitement for the Jaguars, especially at a time when his presence is needed the most at a critical juncture of the season.

Excitement reigns in the locker room, coaching staff

While Strange won't play this week, he still has over 14 days remaining to be activated from IR. However, the potential of his return excites quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has struggled without his quality pass-catching tight end. The Jaguars franchise signal-caller called Strange's long-awaited return "huge" for the offense as a big piece of the unit.

"I'm just excited to get him back, whether that's this week or whenever, obviously want to do what's best for him and make sure he is ready to go when he does come back," Lawrence said. "But yeah, I'm hoping that's sooner rather than later because I think it's no secret how important he is to our offense and what he can do run game, pass game, just how versatile he is."

No Strange is a massive blow for a team that hasn't had him for their toughest stretch of defenses.

EPA/Dropback of each defense Jaguars have faced without Strange:

SEA: No. 10
LAR: No. 3
LV: No. 20
HOU: No. 1
LAC: No. 4
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) November 14, 2025

The coaches have also missed Strange's good graces in the locker room. Head coach Liam Coen noted on Wednesday that his top tight end is day-to-day but acknowledged he could be back on the field sooner than later. Jacksonville's head ringer noted just how valuable Strange is to the offense.

"We obviously have missed Brenton. The blocking, the run game contribution, the pass game contribution, the toughness and mentality," Coen said. "It's more going to be just seeing how he looks out there, what he's comfortable doing, how much can we put on his plate, and what that's going to feel like, especially after getting out on the grass and utilizing it and doing things and seeing what that response is day after day."

Strange Jags — Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange (85) signals a first down during the first quarter of an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium Sunday September 7, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said similar things about Strange. He noted that his absence on the field had a significant impact on the Jaguars' offense across all phases, including blocking, catching, and more. Udinski also shared that Strange has been a great target this season for Lawrence when healthy, adding to his importance on the roster.

"He's big, he's strong, he's physical, he wins running routes on corners sometimes, which is super impressive. But in the run game it's a huge deal. All the different things he can do," Udinski said. "When you say open it up, he quite literally can open up defenses sometimes by coming across, splitting defenses, inserting gaps, pulling around, and then at the point of attack, he can block defensive ends, bigger guys at times.

"It really creates a lot of opportunities. When he's taking a defensive end, now you got another offensive lineman on a linebacker. It creates mismatches for us, having him is a huge part of our offense."

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