A rash of injuries at the same position is always a red flag for a team.
That is why there were a lot of questions about the Jaguars secondary as the team ended its offseason program and started its summer vacation this past week.
Three of the top five players in their secondary, safeties Barry Church and Tashuan Gibson and cornerback Aaron Colvin, all missed the offseason program, and coach Doug Marrone declined to say if he thinks they’ll be ready for the start of camp on July 26.
Then on Friday, cornerback Jalen Ramsey announced on social media that he underwent surgery Thursday for a core muscle injury he suffered during an OTA workout.
Ramsey said in a statement that it was a minor injury and that the surgery was successful.
The Jaguars are hopeful he’ll be ready in four-to-six weeks, and he seems to be a quick healer. Last year, he underwent knee surgery in May and didn’t miss a game.
The Jaguars gave no details about the specifics of the injury or the name of the physician who did the surgery.
By contrast, when the Yankees’ Brett Gardner underwent core muscle surgery last October, the team announced the injury was to the right rectus abdominal muscle in the ribcage area.
The surgery was conducted by Dr. William Meyers of the Philadelphia Vincera Institute. He’s operated on 15,000 athletes, including Donovan McNabb.
If Ramsey has a similar injury, the long-term prognosis is good. Gardner has made a complete recovery, although he had more time in the offseason to heal.
The institute’s website lists 17 different injuries related to the core muscle.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars need Ramsey ready in the short term as well as the long term.
The regular season starts for the Jaguars in less than three months, and they open with two division foes – Houston and Tennessee. They need to at least split those two games.
At the moment, the status of four of the top five players in their secondary is uncertain. The Jaguars can only play the waiting game to see how many are ready to start camp on July 26.
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