On Thursday, a report revealed that a shoulder injury is likely to prevent Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence from facing the Minnesota Vikings in a Week 10 matchup on Sunday.
But that wasn't the only injury news from this weekend's matchup that was shared on Thursday. In addition to Lawrence likely sitting out Sunday's contest, former Vikings offensive guard Ezra Cleveland isn't expected to suit up for the Jaguars in the game either.
Cleveland is currently dealing with an ankle injury and he missed his fifth straight practice because of it on Thursday. His injury kept him out of action during Jacksonville's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last weekend, and with him still not practicing yet, it seems unlikely that he'll be going up against his former team on Sunday.
Former Minnesota Vikings guard Ezra Cleveland excelling with Jacksonville Jaguars
Before his injury, Cleveland was actually one of the few bright spots this season for a Jaguars team that has only won two of its first nine games.
Heading into Week 10, the former Minnesota draft pick has the 19th-best PFF offensive grade among 77 qualifying NFL offensive guards, and he ranks 20th among 79 qualifying guards in pass-blocking efficiency.
In comparison, Vikings starting guards Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram currently rank 66th and 76th, respectively, in pass-blocking efficiency among those same 79 qualifying NFL guards.
For those who might not remember, Cleveland was originally selected by Minnesota in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He began his rookie year with the Vikings as a right guard, and then he switched over to be the team's starting left guard in 2021 and 2022.
After the first eight weeks of the 2023 season, Minnesota agreed to trade him to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft. Cleveland ended up performing well enough for the Jaguars in 2023 that they rewarded him with a three-year extension worth $24 million this past offseason.
Who knows how things would have turned out for him if the Vikings never traded him to Jacksonville? But, regardless, Cleveland has clearly seemed like a better fit for the Jaguars than he was for Minnesota.
