Marcus Stroud wouldn't practice and was added to the Jaguars' injury report as "questionable" for Sunday's game with an ankle sprain. Meanwhile, Mike Peterson hoped his chances of playing could be upgraded following Thursday afternoon's practice.
"Right now, it's pretty good. I haven't practiced, yet, but right now it feels pretty good," Peterson said of his sprained knee, which has kept him out of action since sustaining the injury in the Aug. 26 preseason game against Tampa Bay.
Peterson planned to practice on Thursday afternoon and then re-evaluate his status for Sunday's season-opener against the visiting Dallas Cowboys. The Jaguars middle linebacker's availability becomes especially important following Stroud's injury on Wednesday.
Stroud, the Jaguars' Pro-Bowl defensive tackle, sustained a sprained ankle near the end of Wednesday's practice. Rob Meier would be Stroud's likely replacement at tackle.
Daryl Smith would be the likely replacement for Peterson should he be unable to play on Sunday, but Peterson continues to hold out hope he can play, which would move Smith back to outside linebacker, strengthening both positions.
"I'm not rushing it. I said when I got injured I'd see how it feels. I'll be able to tell after or during practice how I feel," Peterson said.
Peterson described his injury as a grade two sprain of the medial collateral ligament. Recovery time is normally 2-4 weeks, which would put Peterson inside the recovery period.
"I have to take care of my body. It's a long season. I don't want it to bite me in week 14. I've had this injury before," he said.
Peterson is considered to be one of the Jaguars' top performers and the team's emotional leader.
"It's real critical to start fast," he said of winning the opener. "Expectations are real high. We set them in the offseason. They're very high."
