Ahead of the Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers, the Jacksonville Jaguars listed Maason Smith as inactive. This was a bit surprising because the sophomore defensive tackle didn't appear on the injury report, and there weren't signs he wouldn't play in the opener.
One day after the 26-10 win, head coach Liam Coen gave an explanation for making Smith a healthy scratch.
The Jaguars didn't think Maason Smith was ready to contribute
Liam Coen met with the local media Monday and said that Smith didn't get enough practice in training camp, adding that he isn't sure when the sophomore will play. However, the team wants to see him take the field.
"That came down to lack of reps and opportunities throughout the training camp," Coen responded when asked about Smith (4:14 mark). "Did feel like we had some guys that have been able to reduce down a little bit with Smoot, and Ogbah, and Austin Johnson that have played a lot. I think it's just going to take, I'm not going to say how long, I don't know.
Coen continued, "We want to get him out there, and want to get him going. It's a guy that we have confidence in moving forward. We want to get into the fold. It was just a matter of I don't want to say numbers, but with the lack of sample size that we had going into Week 1, with having to try to create numbers for the active roster is kind of just how it played out. We fully expect him to continue to grow, continue to go in the right direction, and help us contribute."
Smith missed time in training camp with an undisclosed injury. He eventually returned to practice but Coen made it clear the former LSU Tiger would need to catch up and practice before he could play.
Related: 4 critical observations from the 26-10 win vs. the Panthers in Week 1
The Jaguars want Maason Smith to prove he deserves to play
All things considered, Liam Coen's reason for making Maason Smith a healthy scratch doesn't come as a surprise. Since he took over, the first-year head coach has emphasized competition, and he surely wants Maason Smith to earn his job.
And that's the thing, Smith showed promise late in his rookie season, but he also got off to a slow start. Heck, he was made inactive several times early in 2024, and based on the Week 1 decision, he has his work cut out.
Now, it's still early in the season, so Smith will have time to put it all together. That said, he should most definitely feel the heat. After all, the new regime has shown that it's not afraid to move on from underperforming players.
Maybe the season opener was an outlier, and Maason Smith will show against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 that he's ready to contribute. But if he's once again a healthy scratch, there should most definitely be reasons for concern.
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