Josh Oliver is a Jacksonville Jaguars rookie that hasn’t seen the field yet. The rookie third-rounder out of San Jose State has been dealing with a hamstring injury since training camp. However, he seems to be progressing and could make his NFL debut as early as this Sunday.
#Jaguars HC Doug Marrone says TE Josh Oliver may have a chance to play Sunday…
— John Oehser (@JohnOehser) October 14, 2019
Josh Oliver Has Potential to Play Sunday
It’s important to note that Mr. Oesher relayed that Oliver “may have a chance to play” on Sunday. While that isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of Oliver’s status, it’s at least a move in the right direction. For weeks there hasn’t been much talk of Oliver except for the injury report updates. The possibility that he could take the field would be great news for the Jags.
Six weeks into the season the Jaguars are 2-4 and their tight-end corps keeps getting injured. Veteran tight-end James O’Shaughnessy suffered a torn ACL in Jacksonville’s Week 5 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Free-agent acquisition Geoff Swaim took a nasty hit this past Sunday which forced him to leave the game with a likely concussion. Needless to say, the Jaguars’ tight end group isn’t the healthiest position on the team at the moment.
We’ll have to wait until later this week to have a better idea of Oliver’s game status for Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Whenever Oliver does take the field, he’ll be a welcome addition to the offense. The third-round rookie has yet to see action in the NFL. But the sooner he can return, the better. Forget the potential production he may have. Getting reps as a rookie is very important for development. If Oliver can get a lot of reps with the offense this year and carve out a role, he could provide a reliable target for either Gardner Minshew or Nick Foles.
