When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed free agent linebacker Jake Ryan, they knew he was less than 12 months removed from a season ending ACL injury. He was in the middle of rehab leading up to training camp, but has suffered another injury that’s left his status a little up in the air with the coaching staff.
Speaking after practice on Thursday, head coach Doug Marrone addressed Ryan’s absence on the field, saying that Ryan had a “setback during the summer” and that the injury occurred away from the facility.
“Jake Ryan, obviously is one the non-football injury list,” Marrone said. “We had a setback during the summer, so we’re really not sure exactly when he’s going to be able to come back or when he’s going to go. So, we’re just going to see where it is and go out and test it. It’s unfortunate because he’s worked really hard and he really hasn’t been on the field with us and he’s really frustrated with that, but hopefully we can get through this and get him on the field ... It’s definitely not surgery. Definitely not surgery.”
It’s good to hear that Ryan’s injury won’t require surgery, but preseason is just two weeks away and the season opener just a few weeks after that. Depending on when Ryan is able to get back on the field and get some reps with his fellow defenders, the linebacking unit could be even more depleted than originally thought.