BRANDON LINDER RULED OUT VS STEELERS

The Jaguars will be without their starting center on Sunday.

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The Jaguars announced Saturday afternoon that Brandon Linder and Jaelen Strong were not traveling with the team to Pittsburgh. Not having Strong hurts, especially with Marqise Lee struggling though a rib injury, Allen Robinson being on season ending IR, and Dede Westbrook out until at least week 9. 

But the major news here is that the team's starting center and best offensive lineman Brandon Linder won't be able to go for the Jaguars. The importance of the center position on the offensive line is hard to overstate. The center to QB exchange starts every play, and the center also gets the rest of the offensive line in position, not to mention helping to open up running lanes and protect the QB. 

With out Linder the Jaguars will likely turn to Tyler Shatley. Shatley started four games in 2016 and performed admirably for a backup, but he'll face a tough test trying to slow down the Steelers big defensive line and matchup with middle linebacker Ryan Shazier, who is second in the NFL in tackles.