Jaguars place Jamal Agnew on IR, offense takes significant hit

Earlier this year, wide receiver looked like a position of strength for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But that hasn’t been the case in the 2021 seasons and things aren’t looking great after Jamal Agnew suffered a hip injury in the Jags’ 30-10 loss to the 49ers in Week 11.

The Jaguars have announced they’ve placed Agnew on the injury reserve list, and he’s out for the season. Head coach Urban Meyer told the local media Monday that the team expects a full recovery. On the other hand, this is a significant blow for an offense that was already struggling to score points with the 2017 fifth-round pick in the lineup.

Even though Agnew played just 10 snaps (22 percent of the team’s total) against the Niners, his Pro Football Focus overall grade of 78.7 was the best among the Jaguars’ offensive players. For the year, the San Diego product had racked up 24 receptions on 39 targets for 229 receiving yards and one touchdown. He also had a 66-yard touchdown run against the Indianapolis Colts.

Having said that, Agnew’s impact wasn’t limited to offense, as he was a difference-maker on special teams. He had a kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 2 and took a failed field goal to the house against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3. Here’s a video of his special teams highlights.

Jamal Agnew will be hard to replace for the Jaguars.

The Jaguars were already missing DJ Chark, who suffered an ankle fracture in Week 4. It remains to be seen what they will do without Agnew being able to provide a big-play element on offense and special teams. However, there are seven games left on the schedule and Jacksonville can’t just throw in the towel. The coaching staff will need to adjust on the fly and will have to lean on Laviska Shenault Jr., Laquon Treadwell, Tavon Austin, and John Brown.

It’s possible that Treadwell and Brown will get more playing time on offense. Meanwhile, Austin will most likely handle return duties. If that’s the case, he will have to perform better than he did against the 49ers, when he muffed a punt.

The truth is that there are no easy fixes, it will be hard to overcome Agnew’s absence but the show must go on, and the Jaguars need to get ready to welcome the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12.