Jaguars Will Have to Rely on Receiver Depth If Marqsie Lee Misses Extended Time

Marqise Lee has done a lot for the Jaguars offense in a reserve role, but if he misses time with an ankle injury the Jaguars will have to find his replacement from within.

Before he went down with an ankle injury in Week 6’s 13-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, sixth-year wide receiver Marqise Lee was relegated to backup duties for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense through the early portion of the season.

This is understandable considering Lee is 14 months removed from an ACL injury that sidelines him for all of the 2018 season, in addition to the emergence of DJ Chark and the signing of Chris Conley.

But while Lee has not produced much as a receiver this season (two catches for 10 yards), he still had a place in the Jaguars offense which will need to be filled if he misses an extended period of time. His 90 snaps this season are fourth-most for a Jacksonville receiver and 37 more than Keelan Cole has seen.

Lee has not been a receiving target really at all this season, seeing only three targets in five games. But he has been an important piece to the Jaguars run and screen game, with him serving as the team’s top blocker on the perimeter.

They have even motioned him in bunch formations to set the edge vs. defensive fronts, a testament to his blocking ability. If he misses an extended period of time with the ankle injury, the Jaguars will need to fill this role with Cole or third-year receiver C.J. Board, who has not played an offensive snap this season.

“I think anytime you miss a guy like Marqise Lee, I think it’s not a good thing,” Jacksonville offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said Thursday. “But again, we’re ready for guys to step up and play.”

Whole Cole and Board have played sparingly and have had little to zero impact on the Jaguars offense this season, DeFilippo still gave each young receiver a vote of confidence moving forward.

“Keelan Cole does a really nice job for us, C.J. Board is a young player that I’m really impressed with that’s come along,” he said. “He’s got a ton of speed and he’s worked his butt off to be able to make this football team, and I’m proud as heck of him and he’ll be ready to go.”

“So, if we need both those guys, then those guys will be ready to go, but obviously we’d like to get Marqise back sooner than later.”

For Cole and Board, stepping in for Lee, who has not practiced this week due to the ankle injury, would be the epitome of having a next man up mentality. Neither has seen the field much this season, but they have always known they had to stay prepared regardless.

“It is just staying ready and making sure I am staying in the playbook, even though I am not out there getting the reps like the other guys,” Board told JaguarMaven in the locker room Thursday. “It is just be ready to step in.”

Board has a unique advantage compared to most backup receivers who may be thrown into the line of duty in the middle of the season, thanks to the fact that he played extensively with starting quarterback Gardner Minshew in the preseason, a time both played in the team’s reserve offense.

A lot has changed since then, but Board and Cole will remain ready regardless. If they are thrown onto the field alongside Minshew, Chark, Conley and the others, they will have to be. Luckily, Board said, the team’s rookie signal-caller can help that transition.

“He has been playing really good, so he makes our job easy,” he said.