JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars received some good news on Monday. They may not be without their best receiver for very long -- and maybe not even at all.
Brian Thomas Jr. suffered a chest contusion in Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers, but an MRI showed no additional damage. Coach Doug Pederson said on Monday that there's a chance the rookie could play in Sunday's game at Philadelphia (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS). Thomas leads the team in receiving yards (573) and touchdowns (five).
That was a relief for the Jaguars after losing slot receiver Christian Kirk for the rest of the season to a broken left collarbone. Kirk, who ranks second on the team in targets (47) and receiving yards (379), had surgery to repair the injury on Monday.
With the injuries to Thomas and fellow receiver Gabe Davis (shoulder) not being serious, the Jaguars don't have to significantly change their offensive approach going forward the way they did at the end of Sunday's loss.
"I don't think there's going to be a whole bunch of changes schematically," Pederson said. "We just have to put our players in the best situations, meaning take their strengths and utilize that in the game plan."
The Jaguars were forced into going exclusively with 12 personnel -- one back, two tight ends, and two receivers -- for much of the fourth quarter on Sunday. That put backup tight end Brenton Strange and depth receivers Parker Washington and Tim Jones on the field with tight end Evan Engram as the Jaguars tried to rally from a 10-point deficit.
That group combined to catch eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown -- a leaping catch from Engram in the back of the end zone that helped tie the game at 27-27 with 1:48 to play.
But with the possibility of Thomas and Davis playing this week, the Jaguars can run their regular offense. Pederson said Davis "should be fine" and that Thomas is day-to-day and his chance of playing this week is "more about how much he can tolerate."
Thomas said earlier Monday afternoon that he was sore but he was hopeful he would be feeling better by the end of the week and be able to practice.
"When the soreness goes down, I'll be able to try to get back out there as soon as possible," Thomas said.
Losing Kirk means a bigger role for Washington, a sixth-round pick in 2023. Last season, Washington didn't capitalize on the opportunity when he had to replace an injured Kirk as the Jaguars' primary slot receiver, but the team has no doubt he can now.
"He did some great things [Sunday]," Pederson said. "[He's] a player that has proven that he can do it so we have a lot of confidence moving forward that he can fill that role."
In six games as Kirk's replacement in 2023, Washington had 16 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. But he also missed a route adjustment in one game, resulting in Trevor Lawrence having to hold onto the ball and suffering a high ankle sprain.
Washington went on to have an impressive offseason, with Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor consistently praising Washington's fuller understanding of the offense, his conditioning and performance on the field during OTAs, minicamp and training camp.
"Parker is playing a lot more confidently," Taylor said in August. "I think he's a lot healthier than he was this time last year when we got him. [He's] not worried every time they break the huddle about what I'm doing, where is my stance, how does this route change? Now, he's heard it 100 times. So we give a playcall, we give a route, we move him around. He knows the expectations of that particular player in that particular concept and so now you just see the skill set start to come out."
This season, Washington has six catches for 67 yards, including three for 43 yards against Green Bay. He also had a franchise-record 96-yard punt return for a touchdown against New England on Oct. 20 while subbing in for injured returner Devin Duvernay (leg).
Now he's expected to make his second career start against the Eagles on Sunday.
"We feel very comfortable there," Pederson said.
Pederson said the Jaguars would call up a receiver from the practice squad to replace Kirk's roster spot. Austin Trammell appears the most likely since he's primarily a slot receiver, but the Jaguars used Elijah Cooks as an injury replacement Weeks 14-15 last season and he caught three passes for 38 yards against Tampa Bay.
"Definitely they're capable; they wouldn't be here if they weren't," Engram said of the practice squad players. "It's going to be all hands on deck. Obviously very unfortunate that we have to get to that point but it's the NFL and guys have to step up. I don't know exactly how we will move forward but we've got to move forward."