WATFORD, England (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram is likely to play Sunday against the Chicago Bears in what would be a boost for a team that arrived late to England because of Hurricane Milton.
The two-time Pro Bowl tight end — a favorite target of quarterback Trevor Lawrence — hasn’t played since the season opener because of a hamstring injury.
Jags coach Doug Pederson said Saturday at the team’s hotel outside London that Engram has been trending in the right direction and looked good at practice this week. He said he “would lean toward him playing in this game.”
The Jags arrived at 11 a.m. (1000 GMT) on Friday — about five hours later than usual for their annual trip to London — and didn’t get to their hotel until 1:30 p.m. That meant no time for their usual full practice.
“With it being dark sooner, just wanted to get some meeting time and then just get the guys off their feet a little bit,” Pederson said.
The coach acknowledged some concern over a slow start against a Bears team that arrived on Tuesday.
“Obviously there’s that concern, I guess, slow start, sluggish, things of that nature, but … guys have been here before, they know what it’s like,” Pederson said. “They’re prepared and ready to go.”
Lawrence said they’ll be ready at game time in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“That was the travel arrangements that we chose, that’s kind of how we’ve always done it,” the quarterback said. “We have trust and faith in our process and how we do it.
“There’s no excuses come Sunday,” he added. “We’ve got to put a good product out there and go out and play well.”
The possible return of Engram would be a major boost. The tight end had career highs last season with 114 receptions and 963 yards. Officially, his game status is questionable.
“Obviously, we have some great chemistry,” Lawrence said. “He’s just a great, dynamic player that changes the game. Definitely it will be good to get him back, hopefully this week.”
Engram hurt his hamstring during pregame warmups before a Week 2 game against Cleveland.
The Jaguars are coming off their first win of the season — 37-34 over the Indianapolis Colts. Like last season, the Jags will play in consecutive weeks here. They face the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium next Sunday.
They recorded back-to-back wins in London a year ago, then won their next three to reach 6-2 but finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
The Bears are going for three straight victories.
Jags cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring) was ruled out for Sunday but he could be ready for next week’s game. His 21-day practice window was opened on Wednesday.
Make it three?
Under the current renovation plan, the Jags would be out of EverBank Stadium for the 2027 season. That could mean more London games.
“We may have to play three games or something over here, which would be OK,” Pederson said.
Those conversations are happening, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Saturday at a fan forum in London, though he didn’t specify how many games could be moved.
“They are considering that. We’ve been talking about that,” he said in response to a fan’s question about the possibility.
Khan backs Pederson and Baalke
Jaguars owner Shad Khan told the Florida Times-Union that he supports Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke despite the team’s 1-4 start.
Before the season, Khan had said this was the best Jags team yet and that “winning now” was his expectation.
Khan told the newspaper in an interview Saturday that he takes into account consecutive 9-8 records in Pederson’s first two years. He said “I admire” what Baalke and Pederson have done.
“I still believe in them,” he said in the interview. “I believe in the players, I believe in the coaching staff. I believe in Trent.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Ken Maguire, The Associated Press
