Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye Absent for 1st Day of Jaguars' OTAs

Coming off an AFC South title and an AFC Championship Game appearance, the Jacksonville Jaguars opened up organized team activities on Tuesday.

When they did so, though, they were without some key pieces.

Jaguars.com's John Oehser reported that cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye did not attend the first day of workouts. Ramsey is, however, expected to show up later in the week, per NFL.com's Herbie Teope.    

It's not clear as to why the All-Pro cornerbacks were not present on Tuesday. It's important to remember, though, OTAs are voluntary, not mandatory.

The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Florida State, Ramsey has quickly turned into one of the NFL's elite defensive backs. The 23-year-old earned his first Pro Bowl nod with 63 combined tackles, four interceptions and 17 passes defended in 2017.

With Ramsey and Bouye, Jacksonville had the NFL's No. 1 pass defense, the second-most interceptions and allowed the third-fewest passing touchdowns. The team's 55 sacks were just one off the league lead.

The Jaguars' ferocious defense led the way to the end of a decade-long playoff drought and powered the franchise to its second-ever AFC Championship Game berth.

Ramsey is just two years into his rookie contract. Jacksonville has at least two more years of control and could exercise the Tennessee native's fifth-year option. Bouye, on the other hand, just signed a five-year, $67.5 million deal with the Jaguars as a free agent last offseason.