Jaguars LT Anton Harrison headed for knee surgery

The news came from 2 of the biggest NFL insiders at once, and it isn't good for anyone in teal.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

#Jaguars starting LT Anton Harrison, starter since 2023, is expected to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery when he returns from London, per me and @JFowlerESPN. During the surgery, the doctor will determine how long Trevor Lawrence’s blindside protector is out — weeks or months.

Harrison went down Sunday in Jacksonville's 19-17 win over the Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He was blocking on a run play, grabbed his right knee after coming off the block, and got carted off. That's never what you want to see, and the MRI clearly didn't clear things up. Nobody knows how bad it is yet, and they won't know until a doctor is actually inside the knee.

That's the scary part. An arthroscopic procedure is how the surgeon gets a look, and the fix depends on what they see. The 2 possible outcomes are miles apart.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

Depending on what the surgeon sees during the procedure, Anton Harrison is either out 3-5 weeks (likely IR) or 3-4 months (out for the regular season).

Ian Rapoport@RapSheet

#Jaguars starting LT Anton Harrison, starter since 2023, is expected to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery when he returns from London, per me and @JFowlerESPN. During the surgery, the doctor will determine how long Trevor Lawrence’s blindside protector is out — weeks or months. t.co/euMcFlKvBa

So it's either a short IR stint where he's back for the stretch run, or the regular season is over for him. Not much in between. The surgery doesn't happen right away either. The Jaguars are 4-1 and staying in London to play the 1-4 Texans at Wembley on Sunday before they fly home, so Harrison gets cut open after that and the waiting drags on another week.

Here's why this one hurts. Harrison has started since the Jags took him 27th overall in 2023, and he's been about as durable as they come, missing only 3 games at right tackle across his first 3 seasons. Jacksonville picked up his fifth-year option in April, and this summer they moved him over to left tackle to protect Trevor Lawrence's blind side. That move was a bet on him being the guy, and 5 weeks into the season he's the one in line for a scope.

Jeremy Fowler

@JFowlerESPN

Key piece to Jacksonville offense is out

Ian Rapoport@RapSheet

#Jaguars starting LT Anton Harrison, starter since 2023, is expected to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery when he returns from London, per me and @JFowlerESPN. During the surgery, the doctor will determine how long Trevor Lawrence’s blindside protector is out — weeks or months. t.co/euMcFlKvBa

Walker Little, who replaced Harrison in London, is expected to start at left tackle. Little has been around and he's played the position before, so this isn't some panic signing off the street. Still, a 4-1 team with real hopes in the AFC just lost its blindside guy for an unknown stretch. If the surgeon comes back with 3-5 weeks, Jacksonville gets through it with Little and gets Harrison back for the playoff push. If it's 3-4 months, the front office has to start thinking about the trade market. Either way, Lawrence is going to be checking his left shoulder a lot more against Houston.