Jacksonville Jaguars: With Maurice Jones-Drew Out, Rashad Jennings Has Unique Opportunity in Contract Year

By Bear Heiser
Senior Writer

The absence of running back Maurice Jones-Drew has left a gaping hole in the Jacksonville Jaguars offense, and unless he decides to return in the next few days, head coach Mike Mularkey will have to go in another direction.

That direction, for now, appears to be fourth-year, seventh-round draft pick, Rashad Jennings. Jennings missed the entire 2011 regular season with a knee injury, but that reportedly isn’t going to stop Mularkey from thrusting him into the No. 1 spot come Week 1.

Florida Times-Union reporter Vito Stellino flat out asked Mularkey if Jennings will get the nod when the regular season opens, and he replied with, “Yes, I would say that.”

Now take that with a grain of salt, because if Jones-Drew were to report to camp in the next four to five days, you would have to imagine that there’s little chance he wouldn’t start. Obviously, Jones-Drew gives the Jaguars the best chance to win. That’s not to take anything away from Jennings; he’s been solid so far in the preseason.

In three contests, Jennings has carried the ball 36 times for 175 yards, an average of 4.9 yards per carry. If Jennings could continue putting up those kinds of numbers in the regular season, Mularkey in the Jaguars would be estatic. And it would give the team added leverage in their negotiations with Jones-Drew.

For now, Jennings is the guy. But he’s only the guy by default. Jones-Drew will be back at some point during the regular season. Until then, though, Jennings has an opportunity to show the league what he’s worth, as he will be an unrestricted free-agent this coming offseason.

Jennings has fallen into a unique opportunity here. While Jones-Drew holds out for more money, Jennings has the opportunity to make more money—in theory, at least.

Follow Bear on Twitter: @BearHeiser

Pittsburgh Steelers: David DeCastro Could Return this Season, But There’s No Need to Rush