The Jacksonville Jaguars will play their home opener at EverBank Stadium without one of their top weapons in the passing game. Veteran tight end Evan Engram suffered a hamstring injury during pregame warmups and has since been ruled out for the club's Week 2 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, the team announced.
No further details were released by the team regarding the severity of that hamstring injury, only that he'll be put on the shelf for Week 2. With Engram sidelined, the Jaguars have Brenton Strange and Luke Farrell as the only two tight ends on the depth chart. While they'll provide depth at the position, they likely won't factor much in Engram's target share. Instead, it could end up being more looks for the likes of wideouts Christian Kirk, rookie Brian Thomas Jr., and Gabe Davis from Trevor Lawerence.
Engram caught just one of his four targets for five yards in the opening loss to Miami but has proven to be a key outlet for Lawrence throughout his tenure. In 2023, Engram enjoyed a career year, reaching new highs in receptions (114) and yards receiving (963). he also tallied four touchdown receptions, which was tied for the second most of his career.
The 30-year-old is entering his third season with the organization after signing with Jacksonville as a free agent in 2022. Initially, he entered the league as a first-round draft choice of the New York Giants in 2017 out of Ole Miss.