Julius Thomas Injury Update: Jaguars TE to Be out 1 Month After Finger Surgery

Jacksonville Jaguars star tight end Julius Thomas is undergoing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his finger suffered in the preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Continue for updates.

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Thomas Could Be Out 1 Month Following Finger Procedure

Tuesday, Sept. 1

Thomas' highly anticipated debut for the Jaguars will have to wait. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Thomas will go under the knife on Wednesday, citing a source with knowledge of the situation.

ESPN's Adam Schefter had previously reported a timeline of four to five weeks for Thomas' recovery and that he was seeking a second opinion Tuesday.   

"He could probably play with it, but if we let it go and it's still loose, then we're at Week 4 or 5 in the season and he needs surgery," said Jaguars general manager David Caldwell to the Florida Times-Union's Ryan O'Halloran on Monday regarding Thomas' situation, per Jacksonville.com's Hays Carlyon. "It would be us being aggressive. ... Our most realistic case is he has surgery and he's back for Indy."

O'Halloran added Thomas suffered a broken bone in his right hand during the preseason contest against the Steelers. When Thomas was fitted for a cast in a follow-up appointment on Monday, the torn tendon was discovered.

This is another big blow to Jacksonville's hopes of turning things around in 2015. Getting off to a fast start is going to be key to change the collective mindset and culture—and will be critical for the development of second-year quarterback Blake Bortles.

Now Bortles won't have a friendly target and matchup nightmare in Thomas to lean on in the early going. The defense is also without No. 3 overall draft pick Dante Fowler Jr., who tore his ACL on the first day of rookie minicamp.

Marcedes Lewis has been a decent pass-catching tight end during his nine seasons in the NFL but has only 27 career touchdown receptions, with 10 of those coming in 2010. Thomas has hauled in 24 TDs over the past two seasons.

Graham Barfield of Rotoworld suggested Thomas' prolific rate of finding paydirt was going to decline in Jacksonville even if he were healthier:

The Jaguars open the regular season at home against the reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers and a Miami Dolphins team that landed Ndamukong Suh in free agency. Then Jacksonville hits the road to take on the most recent AFC title game participants in the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.

It's a tough slate to start, and Thomas figures to be out for most if not all of it. Bortles must improve a lot and lean on a promising young receiving corps featuring Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns among others until Thomas returns.