After rookie sensation Brian Thomas Jr. suffered a rib injury in Week 8, the Jacksonville Jaguars were bracing themselves for the worst. Already, they lost wide receiver Christian Kirk to a season-ending injury, and they were open to the possibility of being without Thomas for a handful of weeks. Fortunately, they can catch a deep breath after getting encouraging news.
Head coach Doug Pederson met with the local media and said that Thomas is day-to-day, pointing out that he has a contusion on the chest that hurts but is otherwise fine.
"He
just got a little contusion on the left side of his chest, it's gonna be sore, kind of a day-to-day thing," Pederson responded when asked about the results of the MRI. "Yeah, I think it's more about how much he can tolerate it.
"
Pederson also had an update on wide receiver Gabe Davis, who also left the game with a shoulder injury.
"Gabe should be fine again. It was just the shoulder,
lost some feeling in there, and just we were waiting for that to kind of come back a little bit during a game. It's just sometimes those are funny things. But should be, should be fine."
Thomas hauled three receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown in the 30-27 loss to the Packers. But he was on the sideline without his helmet at the end of the game. That was a sign that he had suffered an injury. However, the severity was unknown.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Thomas was going to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. Not long after, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the former LSU Tiger could miss two to four games, depending on the result. However, Pederson's update reveals that won't be the case.
Pederson also gave updates on cornerback Ronald Darby, right guard Brandon Scherff, and left guard Ezra Cleveland. All of them left Week 8 with injuries but none of them appear to be series. For the moment, all of them will be day-to-day.
A first-round pick in this year's draft, Thomas has logged 33 receptions for 573 yards with five touchdowns this season. He's a strong candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year Honors and is on pace to become the first Jaguars rookie receiver to cross the 1,000-yard mark.
The Jaguars could potentially have Brian Thomas Jr. vs. the Eagles
With Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk, and Brian Thomas unable to go, the Jaguars had to use 12 personnel late in the loss against the Packers. While losing players to injury is never ideal, Jacksonville has a capable replacement for Kirk in sophomore Parker Washington. On the other hand, losing Thomas for the next four weeks would've been a massive blow.
Thomas is the Jaguars' top receiver and nobody on the roster can recreate the vertical element he provides on offense. If he isn't good to go against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tim Jones will fill in for him. While the fourth-year pro is an outstanding blocker and a key contributor on special teams, he cannot stretch the field and keep defenses on their toes the way his rookie counterpart does.
Granted, Thomas could miss the Eagles game but there's a chance he play. When you take into account that the injury could've been more serious, that's an outcome the Jacksonville Jaguars will gladly accept.
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