HEADLINES

D.J. Chark Jr.

Jaguars LB Leon Jacobs Done For Season

September 26th, 2020 at 9:05am CST by Ben Levine

Leon Jacobs‘ season is over. The Jaguars linebacker tore his ACL during Thursday’s loss to the Dolphins and will miss the rest of the 2020 campaign.

It’s a tough break for Jacobs, as the 24-year-old was establishing himself as a starter. After starting seven of his 14 games in 2019, the 2018 seventh-rounder had started two of his three appearances in 2020, compiling three tackles and one tackle for a loss. In 29 career games (12 starts), Jacobs has 66 tackles, two sacks, and one fumble recovery.

When Jacobs went down in the first quarter on Thursday, Cassius Marsh was the first choice to fill in at linebacker. The 28-year-old ended up playing 62-percent of Jacksonville’s defensive snaps, collecting three tackles.

ESPN’s Michael DiRocco passed along injury updates on some other notable Jaguars player. Wideout DJ Chark was sat out Thursday’s game with a chest/back injury, but he should return to the practice squad next week if his recent test results come back clean. Center Brandon Linder is also expected to return from a knee injury, while safety Andrew Wingard‘s core muscle injury isn’t as serious as initially thought.

Meanwhile, rookie kicker Brandon Wright suffered a groin injury during Thursday’s loss, forcing the Jaguars to start hunting around for some reinforcement. Wright was already filling in for starter Josh Lambo, who’s sitting on the IR with a hip injury. The 23-year-old Wright has connected on one of his two extra point tries this season.

Jaguars’ DJ Chark Out Vs. Dolphins

September 24th, 2020 at 2:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark has been officially ruled out for tonight’s game against the Dolphins. Chark was previously listed as questionable with chest and back injuries and his condition has not improved.

Chark was uncharacteristically quiet in the Jaguars’ season opener against the Colts, though he did score the team’s first touchdown of 2020. Last week, he managed 84 yards off of just four catches, giving him seven grabs for 109 yards plus one touchdown through two games.

A second-round pick in 2018, Chark enjoyed a breakout season last year. With 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns, the Jaguars are counting on him for an encore. For now, Chark is only looking at a one-game absence, but the training staff will monitor him going forward. On the plus side, the Dolphins won’t have top cornerback Byron Jones either, so it could roughly amount to a wash for both clubs.

With Chark out, the Jaguars will head into tonight’s game with Keelan Cole, Laviska Shenault, Chris Conley, and Collin Johnson as their top receivers. The Jags may also look to activate Dede Westbrook for additional depth.

Injury Updates: Thielen, Moreau, Andrews, Guice, Chark

December 8th, 2019 at 9:17pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are the latest injury updates from around the league as you enjoy Sunday Night Football:

  • Adam Thielen missed another game with his hamstring issue Sunday, but he should be back out there soon. “All parties are optimistic” that the Vikings will have their star receiver when they play a pivotal Week 15 game against the Chargers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Thielen has only played eight games this season, and in two of those he played only a handful of snaps.
  • The Raiders have been pretty banged up recently, and they took another blow during their crucial loss to the Titans. Tight end Foster Moreau went down with a knee injury, and Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said after the game he could be done for the season. Moreau doesn’t play a huge role as a pass-catcher, but he has had a couple of big games and has been playing around half of the team’s offensive snaps.
  • Ravens fans were left holding their breath when breakout tight end Mark Andrews left their victory over the Bills and didn’t return, but fortunately it doesn’t appear to be anything too serious. Andrews suffered a contusion between his knee and thigh a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, and the “indication is it’s nothing major” (Twitter link). That’s good news, but Baltimore does have a short week with a Thursday Night Football game against the Jets waiting. It wouldn’t be surprising if Andrews misses that one, but it doesn’t sound like it’ll be a longterm absence.
  • Derrius Guice has had brutal injury luck so far in his young NFL career, so it was terrible to see the Redskins running back go down with another knee issue during their loss to the Packers. Fortunately it seems like he might’ve dodged a bullet, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the initial diagnosis is an MCL sprain. It seems like Guice could miss some time and potentially the rest of the season, but fortunately it doesn’t appear to be anything long-term. Guice missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL that resulted in multiple infections, and then missed the first eight games of this season with a knee injury.
  • The Jaguars have been getting embarrassed weekly recently, and now things are getting even worse. On the heels of their 45-10 blowout loss to the Chargers, it looks like they could be without top receiver D.J. Chark moving forward. Chark left the game with an ankle injury, and his “left foot was in a protective boot and he left the locker room using a scooter” after the game, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Chark has been having a breakout year and has 881 yards with eight touchdowns, and it now seems like his sophomore campaign could be over.

We’ll have more on all the other big injuries suffered today as soon as there are additional details to pass along.

Jaguars Sign Second-Round WR D.J. Chark

May 25th, 2018 at 4:32pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jaguars are one step closer to signing their entire draft class. The team announced today that they’ve signed second-rounder D.J. Chark Jr. to his rookie contract. The wideout was selected with the 61st pick, and he was the eighth receiver off the board.

“It’s amazing,” Chark Jr. told John Oehser of Jaguars.com. “I’m here, and I’m on the team. I’ve been having a great week of OTAs. I’ve been joining the players and now I feel like I’m finally one of them because I put my name to paper.

“I’ve been in the playbook; coaches have been helping me out a lot. I’ve been learning every position and the guys on the team have been helping me. I’ve been getting good insight from those guys. They’ve been bringing me along and I feel like I’m part of the family here.”

The LSU product didn’t record a single reception during his freshman and sophomore season, and he only hauled in 26 catches during his junior campaign. Chark had a breakout season as a senior, however, compiling 40 receptions for 874 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned 18 punts for 190 yards.

After having lost Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns this offseason, the Jaguars were desperate for a wideout. Chark is currently projected to be the team’s second receiver behind Marqise Lee, although he’ll see competition from former fourth-rounder Dede Westbrook and free agent addition Donte Moncrief.

With the signing, Jacksonville has signed six of their seven draft picks. First-round defensive tackle Taven Bryan is currently unsigned.