JACKSONVILLE – The list stayed long. And significant.
So it has been recently when it has come to injuries for the Jaguars, and so it remained Friday with starting cornerback Sidney Jones IV among five players ruled out for Sunday.
Jones, who emerged as a starter earlier this season, will miss a third consecutive games with an Achilles injury. Other Jaguars players ruled out Friday: nose tackle DaVon Hamilton (knee), linebacker Dakota Allen (ankle), tight end Ben Ellefson (knee) and linebacker Kamalei Correa (hamstring).
"For the past three years, we've dealt with (injuries) every year," Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone said as the Jaguars (1-10) prepared to play the Minnesota Vikings (5-6) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday at 1 p.m.
"It's one of those things you just deal with and go. There are two ways to look at it. You can either say, 'The woe-is-me effect' or 'Why us?' or 'Why this or that?' Or you look at it the other way: There are some guys who go in there, you create an opportunity for them and you see exactly where you are from a standpoint of your roster – if these guys can play or can't play.
"They'll start trending one way or the other and you can make decisions on people. Some guys may be able to show you something."
Sunday will be the Jaguars' third consecutive game without starting corners Jones and CJ Henderson. Rookie corner Chris Claybrooks and veteran nickel cornerback DJ Hayden – like Henderson – are on injured reserve. Rookie Luq Barcoo started opposite Tre Herndon at corner in a loss to the Cleveland Browns last Sunday with rookie Josiah Scott playing nickel.
Marrone said Greg Mabin, acquired off waivers from the Tennessee Titans last week, also could play at corner Sunday.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor (knee) was among three players listed as questionable entering the weekend along with wide receiver Chris Conley (hip) and safety Jarrod Wilson (shoulder).
Taylor has started all 27 regular-season games since joining the Jaguars as a second-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Third-year veteran Will Richardson Jr. would start in Taylor's place, though Marrone said Friday he expects Taylor to start.
"We've got him listed as questionable because he has been limited all week, but I feel like he'll be able to play," Marrone said of Taylor.
Wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. was among the players removed from the game status report Friday. A Pro Bowl selection last season, Chark is therefore expected to play after missing the Browns game with a rib injury. Safety Josh Jones also is expected to return Sunday after missing the last three games on injured reserve with a chest injury.
"We've got some guys coming back and some guys not," Marrone said. "You just manage it and keep going. Right now, the concern is how many guys we're going to have left at the end of the season. Week to week now it's going to get tougher and tougher to manage it."
QUOTABLE
Marrone on motivating team during a 10-game losing streak: "I don't think there's any magic formula you have where all of a sudden you can just take it out of your pocket and spray it on the players and then they go. It has a lot to do with the foundation of what you're trying to build in the beginning, the relationship with the players and the coaches and really understanding what's important. And make no mistake about it: Winning is important. That's what we're still pushing for, trying to get ourselves over the top."
