The Jacksonville Jaguars got an update on the status of one of their rookies on Monday, as coach Urban Meyer said at his press conference that rookie defensive lineman Jay Tufele underwent surgery for his broken hand. As a result, he will be “back in a few weeks,” according to Meyer.
Tufele, the Jaguars’ fourth-round pick out of USC, was a healthy scratch in the team’s first four games, but he made his NFL debut against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5, seeing 13 snaps on defense but not recording any stats. He was expected to play once again against the Miami Dolphins in London in Week 6, but he broke his hand during pregame warmups and was inactive.
Tufele was considered a bit of a project player when the team took him, but it hopes he will eventually develop into a guy that could potentially replace Taven Bryan. However, it seems we won’t get to see any more of Tufele’s progress until later in the season.
In the meantime, Jacksonville will continue to rely heavily on the play of starters Roy Robertson-Harris, DaVon Hamilton, and Malcom Brown, with Bryan representing the only real depth at the position currently.
