Jaguars guard A.J. Cann will miss rest of 2021 season

Today, the Jaguars confirmed that offensive guard A.J. Cann will not be returning this season. Cann suffered an injury to his MCL during the same game that wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. fractured his ankle, against the Cincinnati Bengals, ultimately ending his season just four games in, too.

Chark was officially declared out for the remainder of the season by Meyer on Monday, though, that wasn’t exactly a mystery after the receiver underwent surgery on his fractured ankle.

Cann was drafted by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft (No. 67 overall) and immediately found a starting role, playing in 14 games and starting 13 contests as a rookie. Cann has played in 95 career games with 94 starts.

Cann — who was placed on the injured reserve list on Oct. 4 — will be permanently replaced by second-year guard Ben Bartch for the remainder of the season, and Bartch has played in that role since Cann’s injury against Cincinnati.

Bartch wasn’t able to finish the team’s contest against the Miami Dolphins last week due to a concussion, but played all of the snaps against the Tennessee Titans the week prior, and is expected to be ready for this week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.

While Jacksonville has suffered injuries to its offensive line this season, including center Brandon Linder who has temporarily been replaced by Tyler Shatley, players like Bartch, Shatley and Will Richardson have filled in admirably, but will need to step up as the season progresses.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Jaguars are also expected to have linebacker Myles Jack and rookie cornerback Tyson Campbell back in the lineup this week against the Seahawks as well. Meanwhile. rookie defensive tackle Jay Tufele underwent surgery to repair a broken hand and will miss a “few weeks.”