Newly acquired Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas will likely be out for the first month of the season following surgery after seeing a second doctor about an injured finger on his left hand, according to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport.
The surgery was scheduled for Wednesday, and Thomas suffered the stable fracture in his left hand against the Steelers in the Jaguars' first preseason game. Dr. Richard Gelberman recommended the surgery, according to NFL writer Dan Hanzus.
This news is upsetting for the Jaguars, since they had just signed Thomas to a five-year $46 million contract this offseason. This will be Gus Bradley's third season as head coach in Jacksonville, and he needs talent, as in his first two seasons the Jaguars have gone 7-25.
Thomas was supposed to be a big addition for second year quarterback Blake Bortles, who struggled in his first season, throwing 11 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. Thomas had been an impact player for the Broncos the last two seasons, catching 12 touchdowns in consecutive seasons. He is a big redzone target at 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds, and he is a top choice for any quarterback.
General manager David Caldwell said that the most "realistic" return for Thomas would be week four against the Indianapolis Colts, according to Hanzus. This means that the Jaguars are looking at the Panthers, Dolphins and Patriots without arguably their best weapon.
With Thomas out, backup tight end Clay Harbor will need to step up. Harbor had 26 catches and one touchdown last season. Bradley will want to see more out of Harbor in place of Thomas, but it will be extremely difficult to replace a player of Thomas' talent.
