Jaguars shouldn't fret despite ruling out Evan Engram in final Week 3 injury report

Tight end Evan Engram didn't participate in practice after suffering a hamstring injury during warmups in Week 2. Thus, it's not surprising that the Jacksonville Jaguars have already ruled him out for their game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. While they would want to have Engram for the game, having Brenton Strange in the mix will soften the blow of his absence.

The Jags posted their final injury report for Week 3. Engram is listed as out while defensive back Darnell Savage and last-minute-addition wide receiver Tim Jones got the questionable tag.

In his last exchange with the local media before the game, head coach Doug Pederson said that Engram tried to practice but couldn't. The expectation is that the former Ole Miss Rebel will make progress in the upcoming days. Regarding Savage, Pederson says they'll wait and see before making a decision on the veteran defender.

"Evan probably not gonna make it. He tried this week, not there yet," Pederson said. "Hopefully, next week, we'll see. Darnell, will give him one more day today and see if he can push through it. Don't want to risk anything further, but we'll see where he's at the end of the day."

On the bright side, Pederson said that running back Tank Bigsby and left tackle Cam Robinson are good to go even though the former is listed as questionable. Both of them popped up on the injury report during the week with shoulder and knee injuries, respectively.

On the opposite sideline, Buffalo has ruled out cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm) and linebacker Terrell Bernard (pectoral). Not having the latter will hurt a Bills team that's already without Matt Milano.

Going back to Engram, this will be only the second game he'll miss since signing with the Jags in 2022. A first-round pick in 2017, he spent his first five NFL seasons with the New York Giants. Although the Georgia native flashed at times, his stint in the Big Apple was marred by inconsistency and mental mistakes. It wasn't until he bolted for Jacksonville that he put it all together.

In his first season with the Jags, Engram registered new career bests for catches and receiving yards in a season while breaking several franchise records. He followed that up with an even better 2023. Once again, he set new personal bests, hauling 114 catches, the third-most by a tight end in league history.

In the season opener, though, Engram only had one reception for five yards on four targets. Here's Pederson's full presser.

The Jaguars must lean on Brenton Strange during Evan Engram's absence

Regardless of how much time Evan Engram misses, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a more than capable replacement in sophomore Brenton Strange. A second-round pick in last year's draft, the former Nittany Lion was underwhelming as a rookie, reeling in a measly five receptions for 35 yards with one touchdown. However, he's seemingly turned the corner in Year 2.

After a productive training camp, Strange didn't get a single target in Week 1 but stepped up in Engram's absence, catching three passes for 65 yards in the loss to the Cleveland Browns. He'll once again get the starting nod in Week 3 and should have a favorable matchup when you take into account that the Bills are without Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano.

Right now, the Jaguars are a 5.5-point underdog for Week 3. Not having Evan Engram or Darnell Savage for Monday Night hurts but they have enough pieces even without them to pull off the upset.

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