DENVER — Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey was declared inactive because of a back injury and will not play against the Denver Broncos.
Ramsey had battled an illness and the back injury this week, and spent several days away from the team for the birth of his second child in Nashville.
This is the first game that Ramsey will miss since the Jaguars drafted him fifth overall in 2016.
It has been an eventful two weeks for Ramsey, who asked the team to trade him after being chastised by Jaguars executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin following the Jaguars’ 13-12 loss at Houston on Sept. 15. Ramsey got into a sideline shouting match with coach Doug Marrone after Marrone refused Ramsey’s request to challenge a completion to DeAndre Hopkins.
Ramsey played against Tennessee on Sept. 19 but did not practice Monday because of an illness. He also missed Wednesday’s practice with a back injury, which created its own drama. Three hours after Marrone said he didn’t know when Ramsey suffered the injury, the team released a statement saying Ramsey actually did report back soreness to the team’s medical staff during the fourth quarter of the game against the Titans.
Earlier Wednesday, Marrone said he thought the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback would be able to play against the Broncos, “if he has the ability to play.”
On Wednesday night the team announced that Ramsey would return to his hometown for the impending birth of his second child and released a statement from Marrone that Ramsey “will return to the team when he’s ready.”