Disaster nearly struck Jacksonville for the second consecutive offseason. A year after 2015 first-round pick Dante Fowler lost his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, 2016 first-round pick Jalen Ramsey suffered a knee injury and underwent surgery.
Except this time, the Jaguars appear to have dodged disaster.
According to general manager Dave Caldwell, Ramsey is expected to be "100 percent ready" for training camp. He might even be ready before camp opens in late July.
"He is doing really well," Caldwell said, per NFL.com. "He's out here now and you see him walking around. He feels great. The expectation is he'll be 100 percent ready for training camp and probably even before then."
Ramsey tore his meniscus on May 19 during on-field workouts with the team and had surgery to repair the injury on May 24. On Thursday, Caldwell told USA Today that he had "zero" long-term concerns. So, this appears to be just a minor setback for one of the draft's top players.
Since Ramsey can't practice yet, he's been spending his time watching on the sideline. As head coach Gus Bradley put it, he's been "doing everything that he can do."
"It's awesome (he's here)," Bradley said, per The Florida-Times Union. "Even though he's watching, I've quizzed him on the sideline. He's getting (mental) reps, so he's doing everything that he can do."
When Ramsey returns, he should provide the Jaguars with an immediate upgrade in the secondary. Due to his athleticism, Ramsey figures to serve as a playmaking defensive back behind a revamped front-seven, which includes defensive lineman Malik Jackson and rookie linebacker Myles Jack, who was also regarded as one of the top talents in the draft.
The Jaguars' new-look defense is one reason why the team is expected to compete in the AFC South. More generally speaking, optimism is in the air because of a successful offseason that included the additions of Ramsey, Jackson, and Jack. Just as importantly, the team recently signed receiver Allen Hurns for the long-term.
With Ramsey in the center of it all, Jacksonville appears to be finally building something dangerous.
