Jalen Ramsey to miss Week 5 game vs. Panthers, see back specialist
Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey will miss a second straight game due to a back injury, further muddying the waters about his future with the team.
The issue has become bad enough that head coach Doug Marrone said Ramsey will see a specialist, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
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Ramsey was initially happy to play after making a public trade request in mid-September, registering eight tackles in a game against the Tennessee Titans. However, he also came away with a lingering back issue that has kept him out since.
Ramsey missed much of last week due to the flu, the birth of his child as well as back and hamstring issues. The injuries are officially what kept him out of the game against the Denver Broncos last week and this Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. He hasn’t appeared at any practices this week.
Ramsey said he’s always dealt with back injuries
The 25-year-old Ramsey never left the Titans game with an injury, so if that news sounded suspicious, Ramsey has an explanation. He said in an interview on The Uninterrupted's 17 Weeks Podcast that he’s dealt with throughout his four-year NFL career.
“I went ... 51 straight games [before missing last week’s game] where I started and played the whole game. My body was banged up, my back being extremely tight. Having back issues is something I’ve had to deal with over the course of my NFL career. At times I’ve played through extreme pain or not practiced for weeks and tried to go out there and play. It’s something I’ve dealt with.”
Ramsey landed on the Jaguars’ injury report twice before in 2017, but it's reasonable to also think that he could be even more cautious to prevent a seismic injury that would cut short his market.
How will this affect Ramsey’s trade request?
The NFL’s Oct. 29 trade deadline is quickly approaching, and the Jaguars haven’t been eager to take Ramsey up on his request to leave. Owner Shad Khan has said that he wants to keep him and reportedly wants to make him the highest-paid corner in the league.
But even if the Jaguars were open to moving Ramsey, there’s a question of what his market would be at this point if his health is in question. Given that the team reportedly wants two first-round picks worth of value in return for their franchise building block, teams may not be willing to bite until more is clear about his future.
If Ramsey returns to health before the deadline passes, it will be up to him if he wants to make a stink and force the team’s hand to trade him. He’s only under contract for one more season — unless they franchise tag him — so the team will want to make a decision soon.
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