JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars expect to get two of their top players back during their two-week trip to London.
Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram, who missed the past four games with a strained hamstring, is expected to return Sunday against Chicago at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And the Jaguars (1-4) placed cornerback Tyson Campbell on the injured reserve/designated to return list Wednesday, opening his 21-day practice window.
Coach Doug Pederson, though, said Campbell is likely to be ready to go in Week 7 when Jacksonville hosts New England at Wembley Stadium.
“Really it just allows him to work himself back into practice,” Pederson said of Campbell. “He’s been training and rehabbing. It’s different than football movements, and it’s a way for us to monitor that and keep him in a controlled environment. But excited, looking forward to him getting out there with the guys and see where it goes here in the next couple of weeks.”
The Jaguars have won three of their past four games in London, including sweeping Atlanta and Buffalo in consecutive weeks in 2023.
They ended a four-game skid to start the season with a 37-34 victory against Indianapolis last week and feel as if they have a decent shot at winning two more overseas against rookie quarterbacks, Chicago’s Caleb Williams and New England’s Drake Maye.
Getting Engram back should help. He caught 114 passes for 963 yards — both career highs — last season, and the Jaguars could use him as a third option alongside dynamic receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Christian Kirk.
“Obviously, you don’t want any setbacks, you don’t want anything to happen during the week,” Pederson said. “But we’ll limit his volume, ramp him up, give him what he needs and see how he is at the end of the week. But him being back is definitely a boost for the offense.”
Engram tweaked his hamstring during pregame warmups before a Week 2 matchup against Cleveland, and the Jaguars pointed to the injury as a huge setback. Trevor Lawrence responded with one of his least efficient days since being the No. 1 pick in 2021.
“It’ll be great, hopefully,” Lawrence said. “We’ve obviously been trying to work Evan back in, and hopefully everything goes well this week and he’s able to get out there. It’s still early in the week now; there’s still some time.
“If he can go, he’s a huge part of our offense. He hasn’t been out there the last month or so. We’ve definitely missed him. It’ll be great to get him back involved. … He’s just another threat to have to cover.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Mark Long, The Associated Press
