The Jacksonville Jaguars suddenly find themselves having to deal with a handful of injuries. While they could potentially have linebacker Devin Lloyd back for the Las Vegas Raiders game in Week 9, head coach Liam Coen just announced that two-way star Travis Hunter is landing on the Injured Reserve after suffering a non-contact injury in practice.
Compounding the issues is that safety Eric Murray suffered a neck injury in the loss to the Los Angeles Rams and hasn't returned to practice. According to Coen, Jacksonville probably won't have him for Week 9. If the 10-year veteran isn't good to go, the team will need to turn to 2023 fifth-round pick Antonio Johnson. Fortunately, it looks like he'll be up to the task of filling in for Murray.
Liam Coen heaps praise on Jaguars DB Antonio Johnson
Liam Coen met with the local media ahead of the Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. He stated that Eric Murray probably won't suit up but believes it presents a great opportunity for Antonio Johnson, noting that the East St. Louis, Illinois native had a good week of practice.
"Antonio has, I thought he had a really good week of practice," Coen responded when asked how Johnson has looked (3:56 mark). "Guy obviously made a huge play for us at Houston. Has been a big part of our dime packages throughout the year, being able to move them around in different positions, in terms of playing that linebacker, the safety, lot of talent."
Coen continued, "And he knows, 'Hey, man, I got a great opportunity here,' and I have a lot of confidence in him. Great athlete, long, rangy, and the more he gets comfortable with the communication back there and playing with Dewey [Wingard] and those guys in the back end. I think you look for Antonio to have a good week and step up this week as well."
Later in the exchange, Coen expressed confidence in backups Kahlef Hailassie and rookie Rayuan Layne, saying that both of them also had a good week of practice. They would be the next men up if either Johnson or Andrew Wingard had to leave the field.
The Jaguars will need Antonio Johnson to come through
Now, it's not a given that Eric Murray will miss the Raiders game, but it's trending that way. In the game Coen is referring to, Antonio Johnson had two tackles and an interception. So far this season, he's appeared on 26 percent of the team's total snaps on defense and registered 15 tackles, one pass defensed, and one pick.
Johnson showed potential as a rookie, registering two interceptions and a forced fumble. He switched back to safety in 2024 and started next to Andre Cisco. However, the former Texas A&M Aggie struggled and was benched in favor of Darnell Savage. He eventually got back into the starting lineup and competed for the job in training camp. However, he lost to Andrew Winard.
Now, Antonio Johnson has a chance to make a strong impression and boost his stock against the Raiders.