Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew will not play when the team begins its 2013 preseason schedule Friday against the Miami Dolphins, head coach Gus Bradley announced.
The 2011 rushing champion is coming off a season cut short after only six games by a foot injury that required surgery. Though Jones-Drew has been healthy all throughout this training camp, Bradley said he'll be held out of the opener for precautionary reasons.
"We just feel like he's making good progress, but still has to work on conditioning," said Bradley. "He's going in the right direction but we felt that was needed for his recovery and for his continued progress, and we want to be smart with him and not force anything. We're pleased with where he's at right now and excited about it and it's good."
Bradley also told reporters Thursday that Blaine Gabbert will start Friday's game at quarterback, but Chad Henne will also receive time with the first-team offense. Both players are competing to become the Jaguars' No. 1 signal-caller for the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against Kansas City.
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