Jaguars DE Babin Has Groin Surgery, Will Be “Ready By Training Camp”

On Tuesday afternoon, new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was forced to make the unfortunate announcement concerning a surgery to one of his top defensive players.

Bradley told the media that Defensive End Jason Babin went through surgery on Tuesday to repair an injured groin. The procedure is expected to sideline Babin for a few weeks, but Bradley was quick to point out that Babin is “expected back for the start of training camp.”

Babin’s trek to Jacksonville was a long and winding one, as he first inked a $28.9 million deal with the Eagles in 2011 on the heels of a 12.5-sack season in Tennessee during the previous year. He followed that up with an All-Pro campaign in 2011 in which he amassed an impressive 18 sacks during the full 16-game slate.

Unfortunately for the stud defensive end, however, the Eagles ran into big-time issues last season, and between injuries and mismanagement, the team was forced to release Babin in favor of paying out his massive contract. Jacksonville placed a claim on Babin’s deal mid-season, and made 1.5 sacks in his 5 games with the Jaguars to end the year.

Heading into the season, the Jacksonville depth chart is fairly thin at defensive end, so any loss to Babin would be a devastating one. The team (and head coach) seems optimistic that he’ll be back in plenty of time to start the season, but the situation certainly bears monitoring as the calendar moves through June and July. Stay tuned.