After visiting Dr. William Meyers of Philadelphia Wednesday for a core muscle injury, Jacksonville Jaguars nose tackle Marcell Dareus has decided to proceed with surgery. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the veteran will have surgery to correct the issue Thursday, which will sideline him for four to six weeks. That means the Jags will now have to move forward without their top run defender for the next month or so.
Dareus exited the Jags last game against the Cincinnati Bengals with an abdominal injury but returned. However, it appears after looking deeper into the injury they found out what the issue was. As a result, he missed practice Wednesday and will now miss the Jags’ next game against the New York Jets.
At best Dareus could be available for the Jags’ game against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 24. If it’s a scenario that takes six weeks to recover from, it could hold him out until the Jags’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers in early December. Regardless, it was probably smart to have the issue taken care of so Dareus could return late in the season and be available for a postseason push.
With Dareus out, the Jags have Taven Bryan and rookie Dontavius Russell on the depth chart behind him. Bryan has played very well making impact plays behind the line of scrimmage, while Russell has mostly been inactive. It’s almost a certainty that both will likely see even more playtime now, while longtime veteran Abry Jones leads the way.
