Jaguars Star Defender Not Expected to Play MNF vs Bills
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without their star safety, Darnell Savage, for their crucial matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
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Savaage has been ruled out due to a quad injury. NFL insider Jordan Schultz shared the news via Twitter/X.
Savage was a limited participant in all three practices this week and was given a questionable tag on Saturday. Although there is one more day until gameday, the Jaguars have ruled out Savage. Savage suffered a quad injury last week during practice.
He will not travel with the team this weekend.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Saturday that they would continue to monitor Savage in practice before determining his availability.
"Darnell, we'll give him one more day, today. See if he can push through it. Don't want to risk anything further, but we'll see where he's at the end of the day," Pederson said .
Savage signed a three-year, $21.8 million deal with the Jaguars in March. He is in his first year in Jacksonville after he spent the first five years of his career with the Green Bay Packers.
In his debut with the Jaguars, he recorded two defended passes against Miami in Week 1.
The Jaguars did not immediately announce a corresponding move after ruling Savage out of Week 3. Cornerback Christian Braswell was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad with Savage absent in Week 2. His next opportunity to play will be next week against the Houston Texans for their Week 4 matchup.
Instead of Braswell, the Jaguars will look to lean on Daniel Thomas, who will be the primary backup at safety behind starters Andre Cisco and Antonio Johnson for Monday's game.
The 27-year-old is a former first-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2019 NFL Draft. Savage was the No. 21 overall pick from Maryland. As a Packer, he has collected 302 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, 32 passes defended, nine interceptions returned for 125 yards, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Savage played a key role for the Packers last year, especially in the postseason. He intercepted a pass from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown, and the Packers went on to defeat the Cowboys, 48–32.
Savage has yet to make that kind of impact for the Jaguars, but once he is healthy, they will expect him to do just that.
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