JACKSONVILLE – A soggy field didn't stop practice.
A handful of players being out didn't stop things, either – and those were the conditions Sunday as the Jaguars began their final non-regular-season week of 2015.
A few players who sustained injuries Friday sat out practice and a few with longer-term injuries did, too. That happened on a gray, rainy day as the Jaguars began limited preparations to play the Washington Redskins on Thursday in the 2015 preseason finale.
"We treated it like an extra work day," Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said Sunday after the Jaguars worked for about one hour, 45 minute at the Florida Blue Health and Wellness practice fields. "It was like a bonus Monday for us, where we did good on good (work focused on themselves)."
Bradley said the Jaguars introduced the Redskins for a period Sunday, but worked mostly against themselves during 7-on-7 and team work. Bradley said while it wasn't a long practice, the amount of plays played against the Detroit Lions at Everbank Field Friday in the third game of the 2015 preseason played a factor in that.
The offense ran 80 plays against the Lions.
"We're trying to be smart with them and take care of them as well as strain them," Bradley said.
Among the players out Sunday:
Leo defensive end Andre Branch, a fourth-year veteran who sustained a sprained medial collateral ligament in the first quarter against the Lions.
Bradley on Saturday said he didn't have a specific timetable on Branch's return, saying the starting Leo defensive end likely would miss extended time. That means at least the regular-season opener against the Carolina Panthers September 13 and likely far beyond.
Other Jaguars players out of practice Sunday:
Guard Brandon Linder (toe), wide receiver Marqise Lee (hamstring), wide receiver Allen Hurns (hip), running back Toby Gerhart (abdomen), linebacker LaRoy Reynolds (knee) and cornerback Peyton Thompson (hamstring).
Tight end Julius Thomas (hand) and safety Johnathan Cyprien (finger) continued to work in red, non-contact jerseys. They have done so since being injured in the first preseason game and neither is expected to play against Washington Thursday.
Cornerback Demetrius McCray, who missed the Lions game after sustaining a knee contusion the previous week against the New York Giants, practiced on a limited basis. Wide receiver Allen Robinson, who left Friday's game with a shoulder contusion before returning on the same series, practiced Sunday. Tight end Clay Harbor, who left Friday's game with what the team called a "minor ankle sprain" also practiced Sunday.
Running back Bernard Pierce (lower back strain) practiced on a limited basis, as did wide receiver Neal Sterling (hamstring). A seventh-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, Sterling has yet to play in three preseason games.
"It'd be great to see him play," Bradley said. "I know he took some reps. I know he wants to get some reps. We'll just see how it plays out, but it would be great if we could get him in."
