Coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed Wednesday afternoon that offensive lineman Tytus Howard will be out for the rest of the 2023 season. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was the first to report that Howard will have surgery on his injured knee.
Howard sustained the injury during Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The injury occurred with 20 seconds left in the first quarter. He slowly walked to the Blue Medical Tent but was carted to the locker room soon afterward.
This will mark Howard's second major injury of the season. He underwent hand surgery on Aug. 7 after breaking his right hand during the second week of training camp.
"This is a part of football, you lose guys, they get injured all the time," Ryans said. "We don't focus or harp on it. We feel for our brother, who has gone down. But we still have to move forward and compete at our best."
The injury forced Howard to miss the first four games of the season. According to Pro Football Focus, Howard has not allowed a sack in 394 snaps played at left guard.
"Tytus has done a good job of battling through," Ryans said. "I appreciate him trying to push through. Tytus is a fighter. He did a good job for us. As we have been throughout the whole year, it's next man up. Our O-line has done a good job of shuffling things around."
Ryans did not reveal the type of knee injury Howard sustained but noted that the team is still gathering information about his projected return.
Juice Scruggs will fill Howard's vacancy at left guard for the rest of the season. The rookie offensive lineman made his long-awaited debut once Howard went down against the Jaguars.
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