Chark could be out, but Marrone not too worried

Coach believes team has enough depth at receiver

JACKSONVILLE — Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark could miss his second game in four weeks on Sunday when Jacksonville hosts the Detroit Lions.

Coach Doug Marrone said he stays as optimistic as he can when it comes to his third-year wide receiver and main deep threat, who was limited in practice on Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday, and is listed as questionable to face the Lions (1-3), who are 3.5-point road favorites against the Jags (1-4).

“I feel good about DJ. … We ran some routes in team periods and he looked good,” Marrone said after practice on Friday. “He’s a guy that always fights to get out there.”

Chark limped off the field last week against Houston with an ankle injury after catching just three passes for 16 yards. He missed the last home game on Sept. 24 against Miami with a chest injury.

Rookie wide receiver Laviska Shenault (hamstring) was able to practice at full speed on Friday after missing Wednesday and being limited on Thursday.

But the position group is perhaps the deepest on the team and Marrone said veterans Keelan Cole and Chris Conley and rookie Collin Johnson give him confidence.

“One thing about that group, they’re working extremely hard and there’s talent in that area,” he said.

The rest of the injury news on Friday was good and bad.

Defensive end Josh Allen (knee), tight end Tyler Eifert (neck), defensive tackle Abry Jones (ankle/ hamstring) and linebacker

Dakota Allen (foot) are questionable. Josh Allen and Jones did not practice at all. Dakota Allen, Chark and Eifert were limited.

The better news is that linebacker Myles Jack and cornerback C.J. Henderson practiced at full strength on Friday after missing last week’s game.

Marrone also is leery of expecting too much out of kicker Jon Brown, who will get his first NFL start — even though Brown has looked good in practice this week.

“Each week with all of these guys we’ve had … they’ve looked good and I walk off the field as a coach and say, ‘Gosh … I feel good,’” Marrone said, clearly hesitant when he was asked how Brown had performed in practice this week. “I watch them kick in practice, make all the field goals and I don’t know if I’ve jinxed myself. So I guess I’ll jinx myself again — he’s looked good. I feel like we can put him out there and go.”

Brown will be the fourth kicker the Jaguars have used in four games since All-Pro Josh Lambo hurt his hip in Week 2 when he made three field goals to run his streak to 14 in a row.

Brandon Wright, Aldrick Rosas and Stephen Hauschka have combined to make 4 of 5 conversion attempts and 4 of 7 field-goal attempts since then, and all three have gone through injuries.

Wright and Hauschka have been cut and Rosas is on the practice squad. It’s now up to Brown, a former college soccer player who kicked off briefly for Louisville, and failed to stick with Cincinnati or San Francisco.

He does, however, have a powerful leg and during the 2018 preseason made all six of his attempts for the Bengals, including a 55-yarder.

Now Marrone wants to see it in the games.