Report: Marcell Dareus Having Surgery Today, Out 4-6 Weeks

Jacksonville will be down a starting defensive lineman after Marcell Dareus' surgery sidelines him.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) will be without one of their defensive starters after defensive tackle Marcell Dareus has surgery today, per a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Jaguars confirmed Rapoport's report. 

#Jaguars DT Marcell Dareus is having surgery today to repair a core muscle injury, sources say. He’s in Philly with expert Dr. William Meyers, who will perform the straightforward procedure that has a very high rate of full recovery, generally taking 4-6 weeks.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 24, 2019

Dareus, a nine-year veteran, has started the last six games for Jacksonville and has been a mainstay in their starting lineup since the Buffalo Bills traded him to the Jaguars at the 2017 trade deadline. This year, Dareus has 13 tackles, one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks. He has played 44% of the team's defensive snaps this season. 

Dareus suffered an abdominal injury vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in Jacksonville's Week 7 27-17 win. Rapoport first reported Wednesday that Dareus would be in Philadelphia to have his core muscle injury looked at, and Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone confirmed the same day that Dareus was in Philadelphia. 

“No, he’s in Philadelphia getting treatment, and then he’ll be back. And then hopefully he’ll be back on the field, that’s our goal. That’s what we’ve talked about, that’s what I’ve talked about with Marcell [Dareus]," Marrone said. 

With Dareus out of the lineup for at least a month, the Jaguars will have to lean on second-year defensive tackle Taven Bryan, who has already seen an increase in snaps in recent weeks. After struggling as a rookie, the former first-round pick has had an encouraging sophomore season, notching a sack and four quarterback pressures in a reserve role. 

The Jaguars have the New York Jets this Sunday before traveling to London to play the Houston Texans in Week 9. Their bye week follows the London game, so at the very least Dareus will have the bye week to recover. 

Dareus could technically be placed on the team's reserve/injured list and still be eligible to return after eight missed weeks, but that would only leave him eligible to play in the final two weeks of the season. Instead, it is much more likely the Jaguars keep Dareus on their active roster and he receives the inactive designation for the next month or so.