JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars placed veteran running back Alfred Blue on injured reserve on Sunday, which leaves very little experience behind starter Leonard Fournette.
Fifth-round draft pick Ryquell Armstead and two players the Jaguars were awarded off waivers on Sunday -- three-year vet Tyler Ervin and rookie Devine Ozigbo -- are the only other running backs currently on the 53-man roster. That's a bit of a gamble considering Fournette has missed 11 games in his first two seasons, nine because of injury and two because of suspensions.
Blue suffered a left ankle injury during the second preseason game and has not practiced since. He is not eligible to return from IR until Week 9 but can begin practicing two weeks earlier. That would mean the first game that Blue could play in would be the Jaguars' home game against Houston in London.
Blue has rushed for 2,407 yards and eight touchdowns and has 69 catches for 470 yards and two touchdowns in his five seasons with Houston.
Ervin spent the past three seasons with the Texans and had one carry in 2016 and four in 2017. Ozigbo signed with New Orleans as an undrafted rookie this spring.
Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo has said Fournette will be a major part of the passing game in 2019. Fournette had two catches on three targets for 19 yards and had seven carries for 29 yards in his only preseason action.
Fournette missed six full games and parts of two others with a hamstring injury, missed another game with a foot injury, and was suspended by the NFL for another game last season. He was punished for leaving the bench to get into a fight during the Jaguars' game against Buffalo.
The Jaguars also cut long snapper Matt Overton on Sunday after acquiring long snapper Matt Orzech off waivers. Orzech signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent this spring and the Jaguars saw him up close during joint practices with the Ravens in August.
Overton made national news last week when he offered to purchase season tickets from disgruntled Indianapolis Colts fans who wanted refunds following Andrew Luck's surprise retirement. Overton tweeted that he'd buy those tickets and donate them to patients and their families at Indianapolis' Riley Hospital for Children.
He took to Twitter again on Sunday to thank the Jaguars "for the incredible opportunity."