Julius Thomas Injury: Updates on Jaguars Star's Finger and Return

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas suffered a broken finger in the team's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 14. He had surgery on the injury and missed the first four games of the regular season.

Continue below for updates.

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Thomas Active for Week 5

Sunday, Oct. 11

The Jaguars announced Thomas will make his regular-season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Thomas Comments on Recovery and Potential Return

Thursday, Oct. 1

"The good news [from the surgeon] was no bad news," Thomas said before practice Wednesday in his first comments since the Sept. 1 surgery, according to O'Halloran. O'Halloran provided more from Thomas:

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But no dates [to return]. I’m just waiting to get cleared.

I’m hoping I get a text in the middle of the night [saying], ‘You’re cleared,’ and the next day, I’m ready to go. I don’t want to speculate to get everybody too excited, myself included. I want to wait and when I find out, you’ll see me pulling that helmet down and running around. ...

That’s why I’ve been at practice, so when I do get the go-head, I’m at full speed. It’s an upper extremity injury so I’ll have confidence in my footwork and what I have to do out there running routes. That’s an extreme positive. I’ve been pleased with some of the ways I’ve been able to improve. And catching is catching. When I get cleared, I’m sure it will come back pretty quick.

Having been injured in the past, I know what it takes to come back and the effort and determination you have to put into it.

"

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Thomas Looking to Bring Stability for Blake Bortles 

Thomas played nine games over his first two years before breaking out in 2013 with 65 receptions for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns. The following season, his targets decreased—and so did his numbers. He recorded 43 receptions for 489 yards and another 12 scores in 13 games. 

Thomas joined a Jaguars team in desperate need of receivers. Young quarterback Blake Bortles had few reliable options to throw to in his rookie campaign, and Jacksonville averaged 187.6 passing yards per game (second-worst in the league). In four games this season, Bortles has completed 54.5 percent of his passes for 996 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. 

Tight end Clay Harbor has filled in for Thomas but has caught just seven passes for 74 yards and one touchdown. Harbor may be a serviceable replacement, but the Jaguars and Bortles will benefit greatly from Thomas' game-changing abilities. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.