Ace Sanders Ready for Jacksonville Jaguars vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Wide receiver Ace Sanders will be returning to the Jacksonville Jaguars for their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Sanders was cleared to join the team for practice through the week, following the completion of his four game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Yesterday it became clear that Sanders will be expected to play against the Steelers.

The Jacksonville Jaguars desperately need Sanders to be ready to go, especially since the team is struggling with injuries to Cecil Shorts and Marqise Lee. Sanders is in his second season, but has more game experience than any other receiver on the Jags’ roster except for Shorts and Mike Brown. Brown has been a disappointment this year and Sanders can provide better mentorship to the young Jaguars receivers. Sanders was more targeted than Brown in 2013, being targeted 31 more times but racking up just 38 more yards. Brown has come down a bit from his 13.9 yards per reception in 2013 to a still impressive 12.4 yards per reception in 2014 on five receptions. Yet he has only caught five balls out of 13 targets.

Sanders will provide some much needed veteran stability to the receiving corps. His 484 yards receiving last season were good for second most on the team and he showed the potential to build on that rookie success in his second year. Missing the first four games of the season and a significant part of the offseason will likely hamper his first outing, but he should be able to get back to speed quickly, especially with the same offensive coordinator in Jedd Fisch and the same head coach in Gus Bradley.

Sanders is ready to play and he could have a significant role at wide receiver in the Jags’ game against the Steelers.

I’m excited to see what he can do with Blake Bortles slinging the ball around now at quarterback.