![Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Zech McPhearson (34) catches a ball one handed after an NFL training camp seventh session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_3878,h_2181/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01k2jtmz7d4s9zggy551.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Zech McPhearson (34) catches a ball one handed after an NFL training camp seventh session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
When it rains, it pours for the Jacksonville Jaguars. At least when it comes to the cornerback position. After losing Montaric Brown to a leg injury early in training camp, they signed veteran Levi Wallace to replace him.
Unfortunately, Wallace landed on the Injured Reserve list just before the preseason opener. Compounding the issue is that Tyson Campbell is day-to-day, which led the Jags to bring undrafted rookie Aydan White back after waiving him to make room for Wallace.
But just when you thought things couldn't get worse, the Jags have now lost fifth-year pro Zech McPhearson. The silver lining is that they were quick to add reinforcements to withstand his absence.
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The Jaguars are signing Keni-H Lovely after placing Zech McPhearson on IR
Heading into Week 2 of the preseason, the Jaguars announced that they've placed Zech McPhearson on Injured Reserve and signed Keni-H Lovely in a corresponding move.
After going undrafted in 2024, Lovely signed with the Buffalo Bills. He wasn't able to make their 53-man roster nor the practice squad, so he bolted for the USL, where he signed with the Michigan Panthers.
Lovely attended Western Michigan and earned Third-Team All-Mac in his redshirt senior season. He'll provide immediate depth in light of McPhearson's stay on IR.
McPhearson, a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, landed in the Jaguars practice squad last year. He logged 21 snaps in the preseason opener and was expected to get more reps in the upcoming weeks. However, there's a chance the former Texas Tech Red Raider may be done for the year.
Why the Jaguars shouldn't be that concern about Zech McPherson's injury
It's never pleasant to see players go down with injuries or miss time because of them. However, not having Zech McPhearson in the mix isn't a devastating blow for the Jacksonville Jaguars. After all, he was a long shot to make the 53-man roster, and his best-case scenario would've been landing in the practice squad.
Keni-H Lovely is a viable fill-in who could potentially take McPherson's place in the practice squad if he makes a strong impression in the next two weeks of the preseason. It's also worth noting that Tyson Campbell's injury doesn't appear to be serious, so it's not time to panic yet. Sure, the fact that he's dealt with injuries the past two years doesn't precisely give peace of mind to Jaguars fans. That said, he should be back in the fold soon, barring something unexpected.
Furthermore, Montaric Brown will return at some point of the regular season. When that exactly happens remains to be seen, but head coach Liam Coen didn't sound overly concerned when asked about it.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars have dealt with several injuries at cornerback dating back to July, but the last one doesn't appear to sting nearly as much.