Brian Thomas injury update: How long will the Jaguars' WR be out for?

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. 23rd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. With Calvin Ridley having left Jacksonville in the free agency, Thomas was needed right away. He ended up being a great addition to the team, having already played five games with 60+ yards this season. He is now tied for sixth in the league with 573 yards and third in the league with five receiving touchdowns.

Unfortunately, however, it looks like Thomas may miss some playing time after suffering from an injury in Sunday’s Week 8 match against the Green Bay Packers.

Brian Thomas' injury and how much time he’ll miss

In the third quarter of the Jaguars' game against the Packers, Thomas scored a touchdown, but when he did, he hit the turf hard and left the game with an apparent chest injury. He was questionable to return, and ended up missing the rest of the game.

On Monday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson revealed that Thomas had suffered from a chest contusion and would be given an MRI.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Thomas could miss between two to four weeks, but Pederson said that the scans did not show anything severe and that there is still a chance that Thomas could play in their Week 9 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

If Thomas does end up missing the higher end of four weeks, he would miss not only their game against the Eagles, but also the next two against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions before they reach their Week 12 bye week. That would potentially put him back on the field for their Week 13 game against the Houston Texans on December 1.

And Thomas isn‘t the only injury concern to the Jaguars’ wide receiver core. Their Week 8 game was rough on all three of their top WRs. Christian Kirk suffered a season-ending injury when he broke his collarbone during the game, and Gabe Davis left the game early with a shoulder injury.

With that in mind, quarterback Trevor Lawrence may have to lean more on tight ends Evan Engram and Brenton Strange. Parker Washington and Tim Jones will be the next wide receivers in line with Elijah Cooks, Austin Trammell, and Joshua Cephus as potential players to be elevated from the practice squad.