Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson provided a positive update Monday on the mysterious back injury of defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton.
“He’s still being monitored by the medical professionals in town,” Pederson said of Hamilton during a Zoom call with reporters Monday. “He’s doing much better and feeling better. He’s definitely on the road to recovery.”
Pederson said that the lineman is not currently at the team’s facility while he recovers from a problem that the team called a “non-football related medical issue.”
Hamilton, 26, has steadily developed into a core piece of the Jaguars defense and appeared primed for a huge season in 2023. But the defensive tackle was spotted on crutches after the Jaguars’ preseason game against the Detroit Lions, in which he didn’t play.
On Sunday, the Jaguars released a statement that was vague about details of the “medical issue,” and said there’s no timetable for Hamilton’s recovery.
If Hamilton is out for any period of time during the regular season, it’d be a significant loss for the Jaguars. Pederson told reporters that the team would rely on Adam Gotsis and Jeremiah Ledbetter in Hamilton’s absence. Both of those players are listed just under 300 pounds, much lighter than the 335-pound Hamilton.