Some news and notes from Jacksonville's training camp:
Moves at WR: The Lee Evans experiment in Jacksonville is over. The veteran WR, who averaged almost 850 yards receiving per season in his first seven years in the league, was released on Sunday night.
“It’s always difficult,” coach Mike Mularkey told the team’s official website. “I’ve been in that chair. I’ve known Lee a long time. I was hoping we could get another year out of him. I think he was, too. It’s disappointing.”
Mularkey coached Evans in Buffalo in 2004 and 2005 -- seasons in which he averaged 16.5 yards per reception and caught a combined total of 16 touchdowns. Evans hit his peak in 2008 when he had 63 catches for 1,017 yards. His receiving yards have curtailed every year since with 612 in 2009, 578 in 2010 and just 74 in 2011.
The Jaguars also signed sixth-year WR Demetrius Williams on Sunday evening. Williams, originally a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2006, has 63 career receptions for 1,008 yards. He was cut by the Cleveland Browns in last year’s training camp and did not play in 2011.
Injury update: WR Taylor Price (foot) had been placed on IR. He has five receptions in six career games, and was a stretch to make the final roster had he remained healthy.
Three-year veteran G John Estes will have knee surgery, and could miss an extended period of time. Starting CB Derek Cox (hamstring) will miss at least two weeks after sustaining his injury in Friday night’s preseason game. FB Brock Bolen (knee) is out for two or three weeks. Starting G Will Rackley (ankle) is progressing well, and could play in the team’s third preseason game.
In light of the injuries on the OL, the team also announced the signing of veteran G/C Josh Beekman on Sunday night. Beekman has spent time with the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts in his five-year career.
WR Blackmon moving up: First-round pick WR Justin Blackmon didn’t play in the team’s preseason opener Friday since he had only been in camp for two days after his lengthy holdout. He’s going to get his first real shot this week at proving he was worth the Jaguars moving up to the No. 5 overall pick in the draft. Mularkey said he will play this Friday at New Orleans, and he will get first-team reps at practice.
“We’re trying to get him as many reps as we can with Blaine (Gabbert), obviously,” Mularkey told the team’s official website. “He has to hear those plays and rep those plays as fast as we can get him going.”
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