Jaguars Place Josh Allen, Daniel Thomas, and D.J. Hayden on IR

Three key members of Jacksonville's defense have been placed on injured reserve, effectively ending the season of at least one player.

After having a host of players injured during Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars have placed three key defenders on injured reserve. 

The Jaguars announced Tuesday that defensive end Josh Allen (knee), safety Daniel Thomas (arm), and nickel cornerback D.J. Hayden (hamstring) on the team's reserve/injured list. For Hayden, who was just activated off injured reserve last week after missing six games, his season is now over.

The most notable of the three names is Allen, the team's defensive captain and No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Allen was a Pro Bowler as a rookie and set a rookie franchise record with 10.5 sacks, but the second-year defensive end had a mostly slow start to the 2020 season due to injures. 

Allen still leads the team in pressures despite two games. In eight games, he has recorded 2.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and two tackles for loss. He was injured in Sunday's 27-23 loss to the Steelers, leaving the game in the third quarter after being helped off of the field by trainers.

"Yeah, it’s not any ligament damage, but it’s still enough to be out for some time," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said on Monday. "That’s about all I’ll give out. I might give you more later when I get more specific.”

For Thomas, his injury comes directly following his first NFL interception. The fifth-round rookie has started the last two games at strong safety in place of Josh Jones and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger in Week 11. 

The No. 157 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Thomas has started two games and has recorded 18 tackles, two pass deflections, an interception and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. He is the only player in the league this year to block a punt and intercept a pass. 

For Hayden, the injury likely means Sunday was his final game in a Jaguars uniform. The eighth-year veteran is in the final year of his contract and has battled a number of injuries this season. 

Hayden is in his third season with the Jaguars and is one of the team's best free agent signings in the past several years, if not the best. In three years, Hayden has appeared in 30 games and has recorded 105 tackles, one interception, 11 pass deflections, three sacks, and one forced fumble.