Evan Engram ruled out before Jaguars-Browns after freak pregame injury

The Jacksonville Jaguars needed all hands on deck if they were going to get any sustained offensive momentum against the Cleveland Browns. Even with all their offensive struggles, Cleveland still boasts one of the most impressive defenses, specifically in the secondary, in the NFL.

Given the matchup nightmare tight end Evan Engram has proven to be in Jacksonville's offense when he's cooking, he could have been one of the keys to victory. Instead, thanks to a freak injury sustained in warmups, the Jaguars will need to get by in their home opener without Engram in the offense.

Engram suffered a hamstring injury while warming up before the game and has been ruled out. With the Jaguars already playing without Top-50 pick Maason Smith and free agent safety signing Darnell Savage, losing Engram when they practiced with him all week long could be a very difficult pill to swallow.

Jaguars TE Evan Engram out vs. Browns with hamstring injury

Engram, who is in the middle of a three-year, $41 million contract extension, caught a ridiculous 114 passes for 963 yards last season, making the Pro Bowl as a result. However, he started 2024 poorly against the Miami Dolphins, as he caught just one pass for five yards in the loss.

The obvious target to step in and replace him is 2023 second-round pick Brenton Strange. Despite being picked 61st overall last year, Strange was seldom used due to Engram's star turn. Strange caught just five passes last season and played a paltry percentage of snaps.

Expect to see a bit of Luke Farrell, a 2021 fifth-round pick who has been relegated to third string. After a strong debut, rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. might see an uptick in targets now that Trevor Lawrence has been deprived of his top underneath target.

With the wide receiver room still fairly inexperienced and going up against arguably the best cornerback trio in the AFC in Denzel Ward, MJ Emerson, and Greg Newsome, the tight ends will feature prominently. Strange will need to have his best game as a pro if the Jags want to pull off the win.