JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars’ secondary is officially a bit depleted entering Sunday’s Week 5 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Jaguars announced their entire list of inactives ahead of the London battle with the Eagles, and it features a key name in the defensive back room: Eric Murray.
The complete list of Jaguars inactives entering Week 5 is as follows: safety Eric Murray, wide receiver CJ Williams, cornerback Alijah Huzzie, cornerback Jaylon Jones, defensive lineman Daniel Faalele, defensive end Wesley Williams, and defensive tackle Albert Regis. Jones and Huzzie just joined the Jaguars this week after Jacksonville signed them as defensive back depth, while Faalele and Wesley Williams have been inactive each week this season. CJ Williams has been a healthy scratch since Week 1.
Regis is also a healthy scratch this week, with the Jaguars carrying extra defensive backs in practice squad cornerback Jabbar Muhammad and practice squad safety Kaevon Merriweather. Linebacker Jalen McLeod is also active and will play a role on special teams.
But it is the status of Murray that is most concerning for the Jaguars. Murray has played a significant role as a starting safety for the Jaguars since he signed with the team last March, and the Jaguars will now have a new safety starting across from fourth-year safety Antonio Johnson. Whether that player will be second-year defensive back Rayuan Lane or third-year rookie Jalen Huskey remains to be seen, but the fact is the Jaguars are now without two of their top-3 safeties in Murray and Caleb Ransaw.
“Eric means a lot to us. Eric is one of the guys you would kind of put him in a classification of he’s a coach on the field,” Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said this week. “You guys probably know that from being at practice. He’s just really good communicator, knows the ins and outs of the defense and can kind of see problems before they start on the field. He’s been great that way all the way through, the entire season last season, the beginning of this season. He’s been a big part of our success.”
Now with Huskey or Lane in the mix at the starting safety spot, the Jaguars will have to be at their best if they hope to improve to 4-1. This is the kind of game that will test the depth pieces the Jaguars have developed over the last two seasons, and it starts and ends with how the Jaguars see their safeties step up with Murray out of the lineup.
“Other guys, if they have to step up and do that, I have total confidence that they will, because we’ve really got a good bunch of communicators back there,” Campanile said. “And that’s one of the things we’re always looking for at that position. A guy who has position flexibility, one. And then two, smart guys, guys that love to play, that love to learn and obviously, know the ins and outs of all the calls, learn football.”
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