Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey remains optimistic for a possible return of his franchise running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who has been holding out in hopes of a new contract for just over a month. There's not much Mularkey can do about the contract negotiations and getting Jones-Drew back on the field is going be entirely up to Jones-Drew, but Mularkey says the running back could play in Week 1.

Here's Mularkey when asked if Jones-Drew could start the season:

"It depends on him. What kind of shape he's in. How fast he picks up the system. I'm not going to put him in a position where he has any chance to fail because in the long run, we all fail. I'm not going to expose him to failure. It's not going to happen. If he's ready and all those conditioning wise [things], and he picks it up immediately, the faster he can progress, yes. I don't know where we're at right now. I have no idea."

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