Marqise Lee could return by week one
By Jacob DeFee
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee was carted off the practice field on August 13th.
When Marqise Lee was carted off the field with an injury everyone assumed the worst. Lee put no weight on his leg and was carted to the locker room immediately. Now it is being reported by Ian Rapoport that Lee could return as early as week one of the regular season.
Lee was diagnosed by team doctors with a high ankle sprain. Generally, it takes about four-six weeks for an ankle sprain to heal at minimum, so Lee returning by week one isn’t out of the question, but it isn’t likely.
The most likely scenario is that Lee returns to the field on the Jaguars week three trip to London to face the Ravens. This isn’t an ideal scenario for the Jaguars but it isn’t the end of the world either. The wide receiver position is possibly the best and deepest position on the team. Allen Hurns would return to a starting role if Lee misses time and he Jaguars have two rookies who appear to be able to step in and play in the slot in Dede Westbrook and training camp start Keelan Cole, who both torched the New England Patriots for long touchdowns last week.
However, Lee should do everything in his power to return by week one if at all possible due to his injury history. Lee did a good job staying healthy last season and showed his true potential as he was second on the team in targets behind only fellow wide receiver Allen Robinson. However, Lee constantly dealt with injuries during his first two years in the league and was rarely seen at practice or games, thus earning the nickname “Albino Tiger” from former Jaguars’ WR coach Jerry Sullivan.
The upcoming 2017 season is the final year on Lee’s contract, and if he wants to earn a big extension from the Jaguars or any other team he needs to prove that he can stay healthy for long periods of time.