Jalen Ramsey Suffers Knee Injury
9:10pm: Ramsey’s ailing knee is the same one he had microfracture surgery on as a sophomore in high school, writes Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. However, it didn’t cause him any issues during his Florida State career, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Evidence: Ramsey started every game in his three years as a Seminole.
8:38pm: There’s a 90 percent chance that Ramsey will require a meniscectomy, which is a trim and not a full repair, tweets Dr. David Chao of SiriusXM. If that proves to be the case, Ramsey will be in for a shorter recovery timeline, per Chao. A full repair would have the potential to keep Ramsey out up to six months, as noted below (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dr. Mark Adickes).
3:09pm: Depending on the second opinion and the treatment option he goes with, Ramsey could miss 4-6 weeks or 4-6 months, a source tells Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
2:41pm: Jaguars first-round pick Jalen Ramsey has suffered a right knee injury, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The injury is being characterized as a small meniscus tear. The team has since confirmed the news via press release. 
The No. 5 overall pick will be re-examined early next week to get a second opinion on the matter. If all goes well, the Jags hope that he could be back by the start of training camp.
Of course, this marks the second straight year in which a Jaguars’ first-round pick has suffered an injury before taking the field. The Jaguars are hoping that the prognosis for the FSU product is a lot better than that of Florida pass-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. Fowler missed all of the 2015 season after tearing his ACL in a minicamp practice.
Ramsey was highly coveted by the Cowboys who were selecting at No. 4, but they opted instead to take Ohio State product Ezekiel Elliott. Once that happened, the Jaguars pounced on the opportunity to grab the top defensive back in this year’s draft at No. 5. Ramsey has a high ceiling and his ability to play either safety or cornerback makes him even more valuable. Hopefully, his knee injury will not hamper him going forward.
Details On Bjoern Werner's Deal
- Bjoern Werner‘s minimum salary deal with the Jaguars gives him an $80K bonus if he makes the roster and an extra $300K if he reaches a certain sack total, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. Werner, 25, inked a prove-it deal with Jacksonville last week. The former first-round pick appeared in 38 games over the last three years for the Colts, including 16 starts. In that time, the Florida State alum registered 77 tackles (61 solo), 6.5 sacks, five passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. However, the majority of Werner’s production came in his first two years in the league.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/16
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- The Steelers have brought back tight end David Johnson, who was with Pittsburgh from 2009-13 after it took him in the seventh round of the ’09 draft (Twitter link via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Johnson, who has 24 career receptions, spent the previous two seasons in San Diego. To make room for Johnson, the Steelers cut fellow tight end David Reeves, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Reeves, an undrafted free agent from Duke, signed with the Steelers last month.
- Just days after signing with the Titans as an undrafted free agent, cornerback/kick returner Morgan Burns has retired, writes The Associated Press. Burns, a former Kansas State speedster, was the Big 12 special teams player of the year in 2015.
- The Panthers have claimed tight end Marcus Lucas off waivers from the Bears, David Newton of ESPN reports. Lucas is familiar with Carolina, having spent the 2014 season on its practice squad. The former undrafted free agent from Missouri has yet to appear in an NFL game.
- The Jaguars signed offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach and cut kicker Jaden Oberkrom, according to ESPN’s Mike DiRocco. Linkenbach has 86 appearances and 36 starts to his name. Ten of those appearances came when Linkenbach was a member of both the Dolphins and Chargers last year. Oberkrom had a brief stint in Jacksonville, which signed the ex-TCU standout as an undrafted free agent earlier this month.
Earlier updates:
- The Eagles announced that they have signed tight end M.J. McFarland and linebacker Ty Powell while waiving quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and offensive lineman Brett Boyko, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The addition of Powell means that the Eagles now have four players from the Buffalo’s 2014 defense on their roster. Jim Schwartz, of course, served as the defensive coordinator of that team.
- The Buccaneers announced that they have signed A.J. Francis, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com writes. The defensive tackle now joins his fourth team after beginning his career in Miami and later seeing time in Seattle and New England. To make room, second-year defensive tackle Davon Coleman has been waived.
- Former Texans first-round pick Amobi Okoye has signed with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. The defensive tackle was stricken with a rare illness, which seemingly ended his career in 2012. He hooked on with the Cowboys last season, but he was released before he could take the field.
- Washington has signed tryout cornerback Mariel Cooper, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com tweets.
- The Ravens announced that cornerback Sheldon Price, an ERFA, has agreed to his one-year contract with the team. Price, who went undrafted out of UCLA in 2013, previously spent time on the Colts’ taxi squad.
Carlyon: Werner Could be Late Bloomer
- Indianapolis castoff Bjoern Werner could be another late bloomer for the Jaguars, Hays Carlyon of The Florida Times-Union writes. Buffalo struck gold in the 2013 offseason when they traded with Indy for defensive end Jerry Hughes, a player who many had written off. Since then, Hughes has racked up 25 sacks for Jacksonville over the last three seasons. Werner has yet to produce in the NFL, but he is still just 25 years old and could theoretically turn things around with a change of scenery. The Jaguars signed Werner to a prove-it deal late last week.
[SOURCE LINK]
Jaguars Sign Sheldon Day
- The Jaguars signed fourth-round defensive tackle Sheldon Day, as Wilson tweets.
[SOURCE LINK]
Jaguars Counting On Brandon Linder, Mackenzy Bernadeau
- The Jaguars would have considered Ryan Kelly in the second round of last month’s draft, as offensive coordinator Greg Olson tells Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that Kelly would have been the club’s starting center from “day one.” Instead, Jacksonville will move Brandon Linder to center, opening a spot for former Cowboy Mackenzy Bernadeau at guard. The 30-year-old Bernadeau, signed to a two-year deal in March, has 49 NFL starts under his belt.
Jaguars Sign Myles Jack
- No. 36 overall pick Myles Jack has formally signed his rookie contract with the Jaguars, the team announced today. Jack, who was initially viewed as a potential top-10 pick, will be in line for a rookie deal worth $6.334MM, with a $2.807MM signing bonus, according to Over the Cap.
Jaguars Sign Bjoern Werner
THURSDAY, 9:35am: Werner’s contract with Jaguars does not contain any guaranteed money and is basically a “prove it” deal, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Caplan does not specify the length of the deal, but I would surmise that it is a one-year pact.
WEDNESDAY, 3:30pm: The Jaguars continue to make changes on their defensive line this offseason, announcing today that they’ve signed defensive end Bjoern Werner. A former first-round pick, Werner was waived by the Colts about two months ago.
Werner, 25, appeared in 38 games over the last three years for the Colts, including 16 starts. In that time, the Florida State alum registered 77 tackles (61 solo), 6.5 sacks, five passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. However, the majority of Werner’s production came in his first two years in the league — in 2015, he appeared in 10 games and picked up just 11 total tackles and one fumble recovery.
After being selected 24th overall in the 2013 draft, Werner never lived up to expectations with the Colts, but figures to be an inexpensive gamble for the Jaguars. Contract terms aren’t yet known, but I’d be surprised if Werner gets more than a minimum salary deal from Jacksonville.
The Jaguars added Malik Jackson in free agency, and will get Dante Fowler Jr. back from injury this season. The team also added Myles Jack, Yannick Ngakoue, Sheldon Day, Tyrone Holmes, and Jonathan Woodard on the third day of the draft, so there will be several new front-seven players vying for roles and roster spots in 2016.
In a corresponding roster move, the Jaguars also cut cornerback Chance Casey today.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jaguars To Go Easy On Fowler
- One year ago today, Dante Fowler suffered a torn ligament in his knee, ending his rookie season before it began. The Jaguars, understandably, want to take things slowly with last year’s No. 3 overall pick. “Everything that we’ve seen, the drill work he’s done, the running, the reports we hear — he looks really good,” coach Gus Bradley said, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. “I think he just needs reps now and that’s when it will come, in the OTAs. We’re just taking it day by day with him and seeing his conditioning level.” Fowler notched 8.5 sacks in his final season at Florida and finished his three-year Gators career with 14.5 sacks in total.
Jags Reshuffle Offensive Line
- Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s line looks to have two former Cowboys backups, with Mackenzy Bernadeau set to move into the Jags’ starting left guard position, O’Halloran writes. Like Jermey Parnell in 2015, Bernardeau left Dallas and its loaded offensive front and will have a better opportunity to be a first-string presence for a less-accomplished line. The 30-year-old Bernadeau did not sign a high-end deal for his position like Parnell did a year ago, but he brings a similar profile, having played as a key backup with the Cowboys the past two years. Prior to that, the former seventh-round Panthers pick in 2008 started 27 games at guard for the Cowboys in 2012-13. Bernadeau started 19 contests for the pre-Cam Newton Panther teams in 2009-10.
- The Jaguars moved Brandon Linder to center, Gus Bradley told media (including Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union). An 18-game starter at right guard the past two years, Linder missed 13 games due to a shoulder injury last season. After Stefen Wisniewski opted to sign with the Eagles, Linder will be the Jaguars’ fourth center in four years.