Ja'Wuan James suffers torn Achilles on Sunday

Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James suffered an Achilles tear Sunday against the New York Jets and will miss the remainder of the season, according to Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

James went down in the second quarter and had to be carted off the field. He also suffered an Achilles injury last offseason that kept him out the entirety of 2021. Harbaugh said postgame that the injury is to the same Achilles, but added that James is “determined to come back in time.”

The Ravens started James at left tackle Sunday as Ronnie Stanley was working his way back from injury. Patrick Mekari took over after James went down. If Stanley is still unable to go, expect Mekari to receive the start next Sunday when Baltimore faces the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET.

More on Ja’Wuan James

A five-star prospect coming out of high school, James ranked as the No. 32 overall player and No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2010 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.

He chose to attend Tennessee and spent the next five years in Knoxville. The Volunteers’ best season while he was there came as a senior in 2014, when they finished 7-6 and won the TaxSlayer Bowl against Iowa.

James’ college performance earned him recognition from scouts, and he was a first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He spent the next five seasons as a starter at right tackle for the Miami Dolphins. Once his rookie contract expired, the Denver Broncos thought enough of him to offer him four-year contract worth $51 million in 2019.

James would only play one season with the Broncos, as he opted out of 2020 due to COVID-19 and then suffered the Achilles tear in 2021. Denver released him ahead of the 2021 season, and the Ravens signed him to a two-year contract worth $9 million in June of that year.