T.J. Yeldon: What can we expect in his Jaguars debut?

T.J. Yeldon will be good to go on Friday against the Detroit Lions, giving fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars the chance to finally see the exciting young running back in action.

With increased attention placed on Yeldon due to Dante Fowler’s knee injury taking him out for the 2015 season, many of us have been chomping at the bit to see the running back in action.

Unfortunately, Yeldon has missed the first two preseason games as a precaution after spraining his finger in the Jaguars scrimmage earlier.

Now, he’s ready to take the field.

Being the highest-drafted, healthy rookie for the Jags isn’t the only reason why Yeldon’s debut is getting more than its share of attention. The Jags announced their plan to make the running game a more critical part of the offense earlier in the offseason and Yeldon is expected to be the feature back for the ground game. He has impressed through the offseason and it’s time to see that translate to the field.

Yeldon is excited to get out there as well and if everything we’ve been hearing is true then he’ll certainly impress.

Perhaps most importantly, the young running back may see more work in his first game snaps with Toby Gerhart held out due to an abdominal strain. Mike Kaye at First Coast News thinks that will give Yeldon more chances during Week 3 of the preseason and I’m inclined to agree.

Week 3 of the preseason is sometimes referred to as a dress rehearsal for NFL teams, so having Yeldon out there for more time with quarterback Blake Bortles and other offensive starters could give us all a better indication of how well the unit will perform through the season and how well they “gel” together.

I’m anticipating 8-12 touches for the Jags running back as they look at how he performs behind the offensive line. So far, co-starter Denard Robison has just 10 carries in two game appearances, but as a more proven player the Jags coaching staff may not be looking for much out of him at this point. Expect Yeldon to get more looks, especially after missing the first two games.

Ideally, we’ll see Yeldon put up an average above four yards per carry and, hopefully, see him break one for more than 10 yards. That would leave me wanting to see more and hopeful for the rushing attack during the 2015 season.

The excitement is building and we’re all eagerly anticipating the debut of T.J. Yeldon. Whether he can deliver remains to be seen, but I’m confident that he can.

Next: Blake Bortles is among preseason and training camp risers

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