Melina Vastola-US PRESSWIRE
Most believed that when Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew went down with a foot sprain injury, that his backup Rashad Jennings would seize the opportunity to prove his talent in a featured role.
Unfortunately for Jennings, the running game has been stagnant ever since he took over and he was benched in favor of third-string running back Jalen Parmele in last week’s game against the Houston Texans. Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey announced on Monday that Parmele will continue to fill the featured role this Sunday when they host the Tennessee Titans.
On Sunday, Parmele ran the ball 24 times for 80 yards against one of the stoutest rushing defenses in the NFL, while Jennings was only given three carries in which he managed negative-one yards.
In his stint as starter, Jennings failed to rush for more than three yards per carry and the Jaguars have slipped to last in rushing offense in the league. However, Jennings did excel in his role as the Jaguars kickoff returner on Sunday, where he returned six kicks for 149 yards.
In the meantime, it appears that Parmele will get his chance to shine as the Jaguars continue to await the return of Jones-Drew. For the first time since his injury, the Jaguars did not immediately rule him out for the Titans game on Monday. However, Mularkey said that Jones-Drew was “very questionable” which does not inspire much confidence in his ability to return to action this week.
The Jaguars and Jones-Drew may be targeting next week’s game against the Buffalo Bills for his return to action.
