NFL: Maurice Jones-Drew out vs. Dolphins. Randall Cobb should play
By Jason Marcum
Jul 31, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew (32) runs during the first day of training camp in pads at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars have decided that running back Maurice Jones-Drew won’t play in Friday’s preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins. Jones-Drew said after Wednesday’s practice that there’s no pain in his surgically-repaired left foot, and that he believes he’s back to normal again.
Despite a serious foot injury, Jones-Drew still managed to lead the team with 414 rushing yards last season. In the three years seasons prior, he averaged over 1,400 yards rushing, and was regarded as one of the two or three best backs in the game.
St. Louis Rams rookie running back Zac Stacy’s status for Thursday night’s preseason opener is uncertain due to “general soreness.” Daryl Richardson will likely get the start after his 98 carries for 475 yards were the seventh-highest rushing total among rookie running backs in the NFL last season.
After being selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft, it appeared as though Colorado offensive tackle David Bakhtiari would backup Bryan Bulaga, and have an entire season to develop before being expected to contribute. But when Bulaga suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Saturday, it blew up any plan of developing Bakhtiari this year, and will instead thrust him into the starting lineup.
So far in practices, Bakhtiari has impressed Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy. While there’s a lot of improvement to be made, Bakhtiari continues to impress his coaches and teammates in practice.
The Packers have enough problems to worry about, so the last thing they need is their best receiver in Randall Cobb to be injured as well, but that’s what happened when Cobb dropped out of practice Tuesday and had an ice bag on his upper arm. It was later revealed he’d suffered a minor biceps injury. He dressed in pads Wednesday and took part in some individual drills but didn’t participate in any drills involving contact, but expects to play in the team’s preseason opener vs the Arizona Cardinals.
According to the Boston Globe, New England Patriots rookie Zach Sudfeld may very become the starting TE if Rob Gronkowski misses the beginning of the regular season. Sufeld has begun running with the first-team offense unit in Patriots training camp. Pats Beat Writer Ben Volin calls Sudfeld “potentially the best tight end on the field,” and during Wednesday’s practice, Sudfeld continued to impress.
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