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Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick Justin Blackmon has now missed 12 total days of training camp and will miss a few more days of practice when he finally signs his contract. While head coach Mike Mularkey says the Jaguars offense is very "friendly" to the running back position and isn't concerned about Maurice Jones-Drew catching up if/when he decides to show up, the same can't be said for the wide receiver position.
"Probably not as much, no," Mularkey said on Sunday after practice when asked if the offense was as friend to wide receivers. "More reads, more things to do based on coverage, based on communication with the quarterback. What do you if they press, what do you do if they bail, what do you do if they roll, what they do back is not as complicated as that. The back with the protection scheme, especially third down, that’s the biggest thing they’ve got to learn when they come in here. Because of the multitude the defenses do these days on third down."
Due to the new rule in the CBA which puts a buffer between when a player can sign and practice in pads, the longer Blackmon sits out of practice the further he's going to be behind and the likelihood of early dividends from the Jaguars first-round pick are extinguished.