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Eliminated from the postseason and dealing with a number of injuries, the Jacksonville Jaguars have the opportunity to evaluate some of the depth on their roster heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Houston Texans.
The Jaguars have already ruled out running back T.J. Yeldon and weakside linebacker Telvin Smith. Right tackle Jermey Parnell is listed as questionable. If he were unable to go, sixth-year veteran Sam Young would make his third start of the season.
Young has proven to be a valuable backup this season. He came on last week against the New Orleans Saints when Parnell left the game with a hamstring injury and was also forced into action earlier this season. He played in the opener against the Carolina Panthers when starting left tackle Luke Joeckel went down with an ankle injury. Young started the next two games in place of the former first-round pick, but has rarely seen the field since.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, Young spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills before being claimed off waivers by the Jaguars in 2013. In his three seasons in Jacksonville, Young has appeared in 35 games and made eight starts. His performance Sunday could go a long way in determining his future with the Jaguars.
Set to square off against one of, if not the best defensive lineman in the league in J.J. Watt, if Young can somehow hold his own he could show the Jaguars he should be in their long-term plans when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
K.J. Momberg is the Jacksonville Jaguars Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @kjmomberg or add him to your network on Google.
