12:10pm: The Jaguars recorded their first win of the 2014 season this weekend, but that victory came at a price. According to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link), Pro Bowl linebacker Paul Posluszny tore his pectoral muscle and will be placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Defensive lineman Andre Branch will also miss the next six weeks with a groin injury, tweets Oehser.
Posluszny, 30, was Jacksonville’s leading tackler last season, compiling 162 stops to go along with three sacks, two interceptions, and nine passes defended. His absence will be a significant blow for a Jags defense that has been surprisingly effective in recent weeks. According to head coach Gus Bradley, J.T. Thomas is expected to move over to Posluszny’s middle linebacker spot, with Dekoda Watson and LaRoy Reynolds manning the Otto linebacker position (Twitter link via Oehser).
The Jaguars used their injured reserve spot with the designation to return on tight end Marcedes Lewis earlier this season, so that won’t be an option for Branch, whose recovery timeline would make sense for such a designation. Instead, the club will have to either keep Branch on its 53-man roster or place him on season-ending IR while he recovers from his groin injury.