Jaguars place C Brandon Linder on IR with ankle injury

The Jaguars will be without their top offensive lineman for the rest of the season. They placed center Brandon Linder on injured reserve on Wednesday, sidelining him until the 2021 opener.

Linder did not play in Jacksonville’s loss to Tennessee, with an ankle injury sidelining the veteran blocker. He will join guard Andrew Norwell on the Jags’ IR list.

Pro Football Focus’ No. 3-ranked center, Linder has missed some time this season. He has suited up for nine games in his sixth NFL slate but will now be shut down. The Jaguars have Linder under contract through 2022. He is due a non-guaranteed $8M base salary next season.

Linder will now see a season include just nine games for the second time in three years. A knee injury sidelined him midway through the 2018 campaign. The 28-year-old snapper has played only one 16-game season (2019) in his career.

While the Jaguars are 1-12 and reside as the only non-Jets team with a realistic chance of securing the No. 1 overall pick (widely expected to be the Trevor Lawrence slot), rookie UDFA running back James Robinson has already cleared 1,000 yards and sits third in rushing yards this season. Linder certainly played a key part in Robinson’s breakout and should be expected to reprise that role next year.