The Jacksonville Jaguars received devastating news on Friday regarding their starting left tackle, Anton Harrison. 

Harrison suffered the injury in Jacksonville’s Week 5 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The full extent of the injury wasn’t known until Friday. 

The surgery had to be delayed until the team returned home from its two-week stay in London.

There had been hope that Harrison might only be out a few weeks. Initial reports after the injury stated that the best-case scenario for Harrison would have required only a 3-5 week absence. 

However, with the surgery being delayed for nearly two weeks due to the team’s back-to-back games in London, the Jaguars immediately placed Harrison on injured reserve, guaranteeing that he would miss at least the next four games. 

Unfortunately for Jacksonville and Harrison, Thursday’s surgery revealed the full extent of the injury and showed that Harrison had indeed torn the ACL in his right knee. 

The Injury to Harrison is a huge blow to Jacksonville. The team already had to rebuild its offensive line on the fly this offseason due to several injuries. The only starter from last season who began this season at the same position was center Robert Hainsey. 

A back injury suffered by starting right guard Patrick Mekari forced left guard Ezra Cleveland to switch sides. That opened the door for third-round rookie Emmanuel Pregnon to become the starter at LG. 

Left tackle Cole Van Lanen’s knee injury, suffered in Week 18 of last season, caused him to miss Jacksonville’s offseason practices. Walker Little, whose own injury last season gave the LT job to Van Lanen, was re-inserted as the starting LT. 

However, Little struggled in practices, which forced the team to experiment with Harrison at LT. Harrison had been the Jaguars’ starting right tackle since he was drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he was a left tackle in college. 

Harrison was a natural at left tackle, and played so well that Jacksonville decided to keep him there even after Van Lanen returned. 

Now, with Van Lanen entrenched on the right side, the Jaguars are once again turning to Little to be their LT with Harrison out. 

Hopefully, the third time will be the charm for Little at left tackle. He is both an experienced and talented player, and was regarded as one of the most valuable swing tackles in the NFL. 

He has played relatively well since taking over after Harrison’s injury in Week 5, but his strong play must now hold up for the remainder of the season. 

The ACL tear is a horrible blow for Harrison. His switch to left tackle likely earned him a lot of extra money on his next contract. 

The fifth-year option of his rookie deal had already been picked up by the Jaguars, locking up Harrison through the 2027 season. 

Now that he must recover from a serious knee injury, Jacksonville may proceed with caution when it comes to giving Harrison a huge extension. 

Hopefully, Harrison can have a swift recovery and be back on the field for the start of the 2027 season.