JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s not the news the Jaguars wanted to start their week to.
On Tuesday, Jacksonville placed starting guard Ben Bartch and reserve linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson on injured reserve after both suffered knee injuries in Sunday’s 13-6 loss to the Texans.
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For a team that had been relatively unscathed with impact players missing extended time, that has changed the last two weeks.
Bartch told 1010XL after Sunday’s 13-6 loss to the Houston Texans that he suffered a dislocated knee. Coach Doug Pederson said Monday that Bartch was still undergoing further testing to gauge the severity of it.
The Jaguars do have depth at that position but there’s a reason why Bartch was a starter. Tyler Shatley took Bartch’s place along the offensive line during the Houston game. Having Shatley as a safety valve isn’t a bad thing. He’s the longest-tenured Jaguars player, signing with the franchise as an undrafted player in 2014 and logging 116 games in that span. Shatley has 33 starts.
The loss of Chaisson, also to a knee injury, isn’t as significant but it’s a special teams and depth loss. Chaisson has underwhelmed as a playmaker since he was the No. 20 selection in the 2020 draft, but he is still a contributor on those units.
The losses of Bartch and Chaisson come as the Jaguars work to get back defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi. He injured his quad during a 29-21 loss to the Eagles in Week 4 and missed the loss to the Texans.