Hurns confident he’ll return this month
Receiver Allen Hurns is expected to miss his fourth straight game when the Jaguars host Seattle on Sunday. Hurns sustained a high ankle sprain Nov. 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Hurns said Thursday there is no timetable for his return but he is “pretty confident” he will play before the end of the regular season.
“Just going by the week,” he said. “I haven't had any setbacks — that's the good thing about it. I've been progressing.”
High ankle injuries sometimes require as many as six weeks of rehabilitation.
“It's so tricky with that injury because the soreness moves around - it's in one spot one day and may move to another spot the next day,” Hurns said.
Hurns remains second on the team in catches (36) and receiving yards (446) despite missing the last three games.
The Jaguars (8-4) are in playoff position but Hurns hopes to return before a potential postseason game.
All season long, Carroll Phillips has looked at the list inside the Jaguars' defensive line meeting room that shows the team's sack leaders and visualized his name on it.
The rookie defensive end took another step toward getting it there Sunday against Indianapolis.
Promoted from the practice squad Saturday, Phillips saw the field for the first time this season and played 13 snaps on special teams. He did not record any statistics.
“It's great being in the D-line room and getting taught by the same coaches,” Phillips said. “They lead the league in sacks, so all that is going on in my room. Getting the same coaching they're getting, I'm developing my game every day.”
Undrafted out of Illinois, Phillips spent the first 12 weeks on the practice squad, an unglamorous spot that provides a fraction of the pay and stability compared to the active roster.
That hasn't been a concern for the 6-foot-3, 242-pound Miami native. Phillips has instead focused on improving his technique and learning new defensive schemes, just in case his number was called.
“That guy shows true grit with the way he works and the way he acts,” defensive lineman Malik Jackson said. “When he got his chance, he took full advantage of it. Those are the heartfelt stories. Those are what the NFL is all about. Hopefully he keeps working and gets himself a nice Malik Jackson check.”
A few extra zeros on his paycheck would be nice, but Phillips sounds more interested in tallying his first sack — and many more after that. He's watched the league's top-ranked defense prove itself all season and is hopeful to soon do the same.