The Jacksonville Jaguars’ promising revival just took a scary blow

Gregory Payan/AP

The Jacksonville Jaguars had an exciting offseason that has many feeling the team’s future is pointing up.

After spending gobs of money in free agency to bolster their roster, the Jaguars seemingly nailed the draft by nabbing two of the top-ranked defensive players in Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack.

That excitement took a hit on Thursday when it was announced that Ramsey suffered a knee injury that has been initially diagnosed as a meniscus tear in his right knee. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport first reported it, then the Jaguars confirmed it in a statement, saying Ramsey would get a second opinion.

However, as ProFootball Talk’s Michael David Smith points out, a knee injury isn’t just scary for an NFL rookie, Ramsey already had microfracture surgery on the same knee when he was in high school.

According to Smith, Ramsey had microfracture surgery on the right knee as sophomore in high school. The injury was largely overlooked because it happened so long ago, and Ramsey started every game during his three years in college.

But to have a new injury on a previously injured knee, before the season really starts, is obviously concerning. Ignoring potential health concerns in the future, the injury will set Ramsey back from a developmental standpoint, too.

What is also scary for the Jaguars is that Ramsey was considered the least vulnerable of their young defensive stars. 2015 No. 3 pick Dante Fowler missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL; second-round 2016 pick Myles Jack slid from the top five to No. 36 over concerns about the microfracture surgery that ended his career. Comparatively, Ramsey, a potential athletic force in the secondary, figured to be the most likely player to stay on the field.

Perhaps a second opinion will reveal the injury isn’t serious, but it’s a shame to see an intriguing group of players fail to even make the field and show what they can be.