The Jaguars anticipate a light first injury report of the 2024 campaign Wednesday.
Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson said Monday that only backup safety and core special teamer Daniel Thomas was in recovery from injury as the club prepares for its season-opener at Miami on Sunday, and that the Jaguars are otherwise “pretty healthy at this stage.”
That includes starting Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk, Pederson shared Wednesday, who missed the second and third games of Jacksonville’s preseason with a minor calf injury.
“Christian’s doing well. Would expect him to be a full-go for the game,” Pederson said.
Kirk was sidelined for the final five games of Jacksonville’s 2023 season by a core muscle injury suffered in Week 13. He led the Jaguars with 787 receiving yards when he went down.
In two seasons and 29 starts since signing a four-year, $72 million free-agent deal with Jacksonville, Kirk has posted 141 receptions for 1,895 yards and 11 touchdowns. He set single-year career bests with 84 catches for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022.
Kirk was a full participant in the Jaguars’ training camp until his injury, which occurred during Week 2 of the preseason, before joint practices and Jacksonville’s preseason matchup with Tampa Bay.
As for Thomas, Pederson suggested the Jaguars will continue to monitor his status in practice this week with a workload that will be adjusted daily.
“[Thomas] is someone that’s going to be more day-to-day. We’re going to get him out there, move him around today, see how he feels and try to ramp up his progress each day.”
Thomas, who signed a two-year contract extension with Jacksonville in March, has posted 61 tackles, one interception and two defended passes in 56 games since his 2020 fifth-round NFL draft selection by the Jaguars. He has been on the field for at least 57% of the club’s special teams snaps yearly.
