JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars have sustained yet another major season-ending injury.
This one occurred on the offensive line, with starting center Brandon Linder expected to undergo surgery after sustaining a knee injury Sunday in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
"He'll be out for the season," Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone said Monday, a day after the Jaguars' 29-26 loss to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Linder, a starter in the Jaguars' first nine games of the season, sustained the injury in the third quarter. Tyler Shatley finished the game in his place and will move into the starter's role.
Shatley, who originally signed with the Jaguars as a collegiate free agent from Clemson following the 2015 NFL Draft, has started eight games in five NFL seasons. He started four games last season.
"That's why he's on the team," Marrone said of Shatley. "We have him on the team to be the backup center. We feel we can win with him as a backup center. We expect him to go out there and play winning football for us."
Marrone said reserve lineman Chris Reed is now the Jaguars' backup center.
Linder will become the latest front-line offensive player to be placed on injured reserve this season. Starting left tackle Cam Robinson sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Week 2, with his backup – Josh Wells – on injured reserve the last four games with a groin injury.
Running back Corey Grant (foot), tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (core muscle) and wide receiver Marqise Lee (knee) all are on injured reserve, with Grant and Lee – like Robinson – out for the season.
Also Sunday, Jaguars left tackle Ereck Flowers left with a knee injury while rotating series with starter Josh Walker. Marrone said Flowers' issue was tendinitis and that he could practice Wednesday.
"There were a couple of things I really liked," Marrone said of Flowers, the No. 9 overall selection by the New York Giants in the 2015 NFL Draft who signed with the Jaguars as a free agent last month after the Giants released him.
"I thought in the run game he did some good things. Pass rush-wise, once I found out the knee was bothering him it's tough to evaluate. We were happy to get him in there."
Marrone said more will be known later in the week about the hamstring injury that kept reserve defensive end/linebacker Lerentee McCray out Sunday, and that rookie cornerback Quenton Meeks likely will miss a second consecutive game Sunday with a knee injury sustained in a Week 8 loss to Philadelphia.
Marrone said running back Leonard Fournette came out of Sunday's game fine. He had missed the last four games with a hamstring injury.
"He didn't report anything," Marrone said of Fournette.
