How the Jaguars Can Answer Week 1 Injury Questions for Cole Van Lanen, LeQuint Allen

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The first injury report of the 2026 season is out, and there is plenty of good news for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars only had three players listed on Wednesday's injury report: wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (thumb) and offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen (knee) were limited, while running back LeQuint Allen Jr. (hip) was the lone non-participant for the day.

From the #Jaguars locker room: WR Jakobi Meyers says he will be playing Sunday. Expected, but now from the veteran himself
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) September 9, 2026

Meyers said from the locker room at the Miller Electric Center following practice that he will play on Sunday vs. the Cleveland Browns, which means the only injury questions left to answer are Van Lanen and Allen. So, what could those answers ultimately look like as the Jaguars weigh their Week 1 options?

Cole Van Lanen

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said Wednesday that Van Lanen would be a game-time decision on Sunday, and the fact that he was able to practice in some capacity at the start of the week is what you would want to see. The fact that it could come down to the wire suggests that in the event Van Lanen does miss the game, his absence would likely not linger.

If Van Lanen is ready to go and the Jaguars have confidence in him playing up to his standard as early as Week 1, he will slot in at right tackle opposite of left tackle Anton Harrison and next to guard Ezra Cleveland. If Van Lanen does not get the green light, though, the Jaguars will turn to veteran offensive tackle Walker Little to fill in at right tackle.

The Jaguars would obviously feel comfortable with Little in the lineup considering his experience, and their deep offensive tackle depth gives them the ability to not rush Van Lanen back earlier than required. But, as Coen again noted on Wednesday, the Jaguars also seemingly feel good about where Van Lanen is at.

"I've really liked his mindset. I've liked the way he's attacked, putting himself in maybe precarious positions and owning it," Coen said. "Like, ‘Ah, man, I wasn't great when that happened,’ or, ‘Man, I felt really good when I got stuck and I was sideways.’ I think he's been very intentional about that and, has been fearless with putting himself in some of the positions that he has throughout the course of practice. So I've really appreciated that. And then we'll see what it looks like on Sunday.”

LeQuint Allen Jr.

With Allen as the Jaguars' lone non-participant on Wednesday, he is the player who looks the less likely to play in Week 1 compared to Van Lanen. While Allen did not have a featured role as a rusher or pass-catcher a year ago, he did become the Jaguars' top pass-protecting running back early on as a rookie, and he was expected to dominate passing down snaps at the position while Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. handle the rushing duties.

That expectation will remain once Allen is back in the line-up, but it remains to be seen if that will come in Week 1 against the Browns. If he isn't ready to go, then the Jaguars will have to make some quick adjustments.

“He'll be exactly, very similar to Cole that way where we'll work him out, we'll get a game-time decision from him," Coen said Wednesday. "It's been a while. We'll have to work through it, but I have a lot of faith in LeQuint and trust in him to be able to know the game plan and give us a chance if he's ready to go in that workout. I'll feel confident that he can come in and help our team.”

What would any adjustments without Allen look like? Any pass-catching scenarios would likely include veteran backup running back Ameer Abdullah, who impressed as a pass-cathcer this summer. But the bigger question is who would take over for Allen on passing downs in which the Jaguars need a running back to stay in to pass-block.

The Jaguars' best pass-blocker at the position behind Allen? Rodriguez, who could earn himself the lion's share of the running back snaps in Week 1 as a result. It is appearing more and more likely the Jaguars will not have Allen against the Browns, which could Rodriguez all the more valuable.

Add us as a preferred source on Google