Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s preseason game, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). While Lee could conceivably be available for Week 1, an abundance of caution could force Lee to miss the beginning of the regular season, per Rapoport.
Lee, a second-round pick in 2014, finally lived up to his draft billing last season, as he appeared in all 16 games for the first time in his career. With Allen Hurns sidelined by injury near the end of the 2016 campaign, Lee actually finished second among Jaguars wide receivers with 817 offensive snaps. In that time, he posted 63 receptions, 851 yards, and three touchdowns, and was excellent on a per-play basis, finishing 18th in DVOA.
If Lee can’t get back on the field in time for the season opener, fourth-round rookie Dede Westbrook would theoretically see more snaps as Jacksonville’s third wide receiver. Arrelious Benn and Rashad Greene could also be in contention for expanded playing time, but the Jaguars may choose to lean even more heavily on the run game. Jacksonville ran the ball on only 37% of plays last year, seventh-least in the league, but now boast fourth overall pick Leonard Fournette in the backfield.
Even if Westbrook (or another wide receiver) can fill in for Lee in the Jaguars’ offense, Jacksonville will need to find a new kick returner for the time Lee misses. In 2016, Lee managed 30.3 yards per return on 18 kickoffs, helping the Jags gain 8.9 points of field position on kick returns (fifth-best in the NFL, and the only area of the club’s special teams that was above-average).
Westrbook and/or Greene could help out on special teams, but adding a free agent could also be on the table. Marc Mariani, who’s made a career of fielding both kick and punt returns, is still on the open market. However, he’s entering his age-30 campaign and averaged only 21.5 yards per kick return in 2016.