Is Evan Engram playing today vs Jets? Jaguars TE's Week 15 status revealed
The second half of the NFL season has not been remotely kind to the Jacksonville Jaguars. With no shot at making the playoffs and little chance of landing a top-3 pick in April's NFL Draft, the Jaguars' season appears to be going nowhere.
In the middle of going nowhere, Trevor Lawrence was ruled out for the season after a nasty hit from Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in Week 13. Week 15 brings more bad news as the franchise announced that tight end Evan Engram is also set to miss the rest of the season.
Is Evan Engram playing today vs the New York Jets?
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson made the announcement on Friday morning. Engram will now undergo shoulder surgery on a torn labrum, leaving Jacksonville short-handed for the weeks ahead.
Enrgam had an eventful year with the Jaguars after hauling in 47 catches for 365 yards and a touchdown. However, considering his age and his recent injury record, it seems plausible that the franchise could move on from him in the near future. Engram's contract doesn't help either as he is owed $14.75 million next season.
Engram played for the Jaguars for three seasons after making the move from the New York Giants, where he spent five years.
Exploring Jaguars' depth chart after Evan Engram's injury
In Engram's absence, the Jaguars can turn to Luke Farrell, Brenton Strange and Josiah Deguara. Of the three, Strange appears to be primed to take on the leading role for the rest of the season.
Exploring Jaguars' schedule after Week 15
The Jaguars will face a New York Jets offense on the up in Week 15 in what will not be a pleasant matchup for Jacksonville's defense. The 3-10 Jags will then go up against the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans before facing the Indianapolis Colts to close the season.
As things stand, the Titans are right behind them in the draft order with the sixth overall pick, though that could change between now and Week 18. A total of six teams have a 3-10 record - Patriots, Panthers, Jaguars, Titans, Jets and Browns.