Which Jaguars WR will step up after Christian Kirk leaves?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars received some good news on Monday. They may not have to be without their best receiver for long – maybe not at all.

Brian Thomas Jr. suffered a chest contusion in Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers, but an MRI showed no additional damage. Coach Doug Pederson said Monday that there is a chance the rookie could play in Sunday's game at Philadelphia (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS). Thomas leads the team in receiving yards (573) and touchdowns (five).

That was a relief for the Jaguars after they lost slot receiver Christian Kirk for the rest of the season due to a broken left collarbone. Kirk, who ranks second on the team in targets (47) and receiving yards (379), underwent surgery Monday to repair the injury.

Because the injuries to Thomas and fellow receiver Gabe Davis (shoulder) are not serious, the Jaguars will not need to significantly change their offensive approach going forward, as they did at the end of Sunday's loss.

“I don’t think there will be a whole lot of changes schematically,” Pederson said. “We simply have to put our players in the best situations, which means using their strengths and incorporating them into the game plan.”

The Jaguars were forced to play only 12 players — a back, two tight ends and two receivers — for most of the fourth quarter on Sunday. That left backup tight end Brenton Strange and depth receivers Parker Washington and Tim Jones with tight end Evan Engram on the field as the Jaguars tried to erase a 10-point deficit.

That group combined to catch eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown – a diving catch by Engram in the back of the end zone that helped tie the game at 27-27 with 1:48 to play.

But with the possibility of Thomas and Davis playing this week, the Jaguars can run their regular offense. Pederson said Davis “should be fine” and that Thomas is day-to-day and his chance of playing this week “depends more on how much he can handle.”

Thomas said Monday afternoon that he was sore, but he was confident he would feel better and be able to practice by the end of the week.

“When the pain goes away, I'll try to get out as quickly as possible,” Thomas said.

The loss of Kirk means a bigger role for Washington, a sixth-round pick in 2023. Last season, Washington didn't capitalize on the opportunity when he had to replace the injured Kirk as the Jaguars' primary receiver, but the team has no doubt he can do it now.

“He did some great things (Sunday),” Pederson said. “(He is) a player who has proven he can do it, so we are confident he can continue to fulfill this role in the future.”

In six games as Kirk's replacement in 2023, Washington had 16 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. However, he also missed a route adjustment in one game, which resulted in Trevor Lawrence having to hold onto the ball and suffering a high ankle sprain.

Washington continued to have an impressive offseason, with Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor continually praising Washington's broader understanding of the offense, conditioning and on-field performance during OTAs, minicamp and training camp.

“Parker is playing a lot more confidently,” Taylor said in August. “I think he's a lot healthier than he was this time last year when we got him. (He's not worried every time they break the scrum about what I'm doing, where's my stance, how is this route changing? Well, he's heard it 100 times, we give him a route, we move him . He knows the expectations of this particular player in this particular concept and now you can see the skills coming through.

This season, Washington has six catches for 67 yards, including three for 43 yards against Green Bay. He also rushed for a franchise-record 96 yards and touchdown against New England on October 20 while replacing injured returnee Devin Duvernay (leg).

He is now expected to make his second career start Sunday against the Eagles.

“We feel very comfortable there,” Pederson said.

Pederson said the Jaguars would call up a receiver from the practice squad to replace Kirk's roster spot. Austin Trammell seems the most likely since he is primarily a slot receiver, but the Jaguars used Elijah Cooks as an injured replacement in Weeks 14-15 last season and he caught three passes for 38 yards against Tampa Bay.

“In any case, they are capable; otherwise they wouldn’t be here,” Engram said of the players on the practice squad. “It will be all hands on deck. Of course it's very unfortunate that we have to get to this point, but it's the NFL and the guys have to step up. I don't know exactly how we're going to move forward, but we have to move forward.”