Jags rule out Ramsey vs Panthers, want him to see specialist

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without cornerback Jalen Ramsey for a second straight week, and now they want their disgruntled star to see a back specialist.

Coach Doug Marrone ruled Ramsey out Friday, saying he has been “working extremely hard to get back with this low-back issue and it hasn’t been getting any better.”

Marrone said he didn’t know when Ramsey would visit a specialist.

“I don’t know what the travel arrangements are, but Jalen’s always been someone that’s been extremely diligent in what he has to do to get back on the field,” Marrone said. “Been one of the toughest guys that I’ve coached when it comes down to injuries and fighting back from it. We’re just working day to day to get it better.”

Ramsey missed a seventh consecutive practice Friday and won’t play at Carolina (2-2). He was inactive for the first time in his four-year NFL career last week at Denver. The Jaguars (2-2) rallied to win in the final 90 seconds.

Second-year pro Tre Herndon will replace Ramsey in the starting lineup again. The Broncos picked on Herndon in Jacksonville’s 26-24 victory last week.

Ramsey declined to talk to reporters in the locker room Thursday.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection said on a weekly podcast featuring NFL players that his back has been “extremely tight.”

“It’s something I’ve had had to deal with over the course of my NFL career,” Ramsey told the Uninterrupted’s “17 Weeks” podcast this week. “At times, I’ve played through extreme pain or not practiced for weeks and tried to go out there and play. It’s something I’ve dealt with, so wasn’t able to go out there and put the product on the field that would have been beneficial for me or my teammates.”

Ramsey requested a trade Sept. 15 following a heated argument with Marrone on the sideline in Houston and a much-less-public exchange with personnel chief Tom Coughlin after the game.

Team owned Shad Khan told The Associated Press earlier this week that has no plans to trade Ramsey.

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