MJD Cleared to Practice, Cyprien and Blackmon on PUP
By Daniel Lago
In the Jaguars press conference on Tuesday, head coach Gus Bradley discussed the injury status of some key players going into training camp.
Star running back Maurice Jones-Drew was cleared to practice coming off of a major foot injury. Despite being cleared, expect Jones-Drew to be eased into the lineup and to get limited reps throughout training camp. This will open up plenty of reps for backup running back Justin Forsett and offensive weapon Denard Robinson.
MJD: "I feel like after a week or two I’ll be able to get out there and do what I need to do to be ready.” #Jaguars
— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) July 23, 2013
Defensive end Jason Babin was also cleared after having groin surgery in early June. Babin is expected to play the much talked about LEO position featured in Gus Bradley’s defensive scheme.
May 13, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars safety John Cyprien (37) leaps as he tries to catch a pass during organized team activities at The Florida Blue Health
With good news comes bad news, as stud rookie safety Jonathan Cyprien and last year’s first round pick Justin Blackmon will start training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Cyprien injured himself while training on his own in Miami, but his strained hamstring shouldn’t keep him out too long and he’ll likely be back next week. Blackmon is still recovering from groin surgery in early July and he probably won’t see the field for another two weeks or so.
The Jaguars are fortunate Cyprien only strained his hamstring as he’s expected to play a vital role in the Jaguars’ overall secondary makeover. Even though he’ll miss the first four weeks of the regular season, Blackmon’s absence in training camp is still noteworthy. It’s vital to get Blackmon reps now in training camp to get him acclimated to the offense. The Jaguars will want to get him involved in the offense immediately in week 5 and that only happens if Blackmon learned the offense in the preseason.
Two other players – wide receiver Taylor Price and offensive lineman Stephane Milhim – are also coming into training camp on the PUP list.
– Daniel Lago
Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89