Ben

Ijalana

It’s been a busy morning for the Jags, who cut Benny Cunningham (he was released with an injury settlement), OG Jordan Agasiva and OT Andrew Lauderdale while signing Ijalana along with OT Ka’John Armstrong and TE Ethan Wolf. A career backup, Ijalana has racked up 34 appearances including 13 starts over his eight NFL seasons.

Ijalana was projected to be the Jets’ swing tackle this season, so this is a hit to the line’s depth. To take his place, the Jets signed G/C Gino Gradkowski.

The 49th overall pick in last year’s draft, Ijalana’s NFL future appears dim after undergoing five surgeries already as a pro. The latest will be a reconstruction of his left ACL, which also ended Ijalana’s rookie season. He underwent double hernia surgery before the 2011 draft, and two 2012 offseason surgeries on his hips. Ijalana will be on the roster bubble next year.

Justice was inconsistent as an Eagle, getting shuttled in and out of the lineup as Andy Reid searched for answers. In Indy, he’ll only have to hold off Ben Ijalana for the starting gig. Ijalana is also challenging Joe Reitz for the left guard job.

McGlynn and RT Winston Justice are favorites of new GM Ryan Grigson, who imported them from Philly. With 2011 second-rounder Ben Ijalana still inexperienced and recovering from a knee injury, Joe Reitz has the edge at left guard. Samson Satele and Anthony Castonzo are locked in at center and left tackle respectively.

The Colts’ second-round pick last season, Ijalana appeared in just four games before landing on injured reserve. A second ACL tear would jeopardize his career.

They will be placed on injured reserve, ending their seasons. Coach Chuck Pagano revealed that Ijalana had just finished rehabbing from two hip surgeries as well as last October’s ACL surgery to the same knee. The No. 49 pick in the 2011 draft, Ijalana was viewed as a promising swing-tackle prospect before the back-to-back ACL tears. His career is now in jeopardy. Edds played 12 games on special teams last year after being signed off the Patriots’ practice squad.

Ijalana tore his left ACL last October 3. The 49th overall pick in last year’s draft, Ijalana should compete for a starting job in training camp. One of the guard spots would be Ijalana’s best bet for playing time with Anthony Castonzo and Winston Justice locked in as Indianapolis’ starting tackles.

We’ll update you as we learn more, but losing Castonzo for any length of time would be a decent-sized blow to the Colts. Backup G/T Ben Ijalana left the game due to a knee injury, forcing first-year practice squad call-up Mike Tepper to play RT with Jeff Linkenbach kicking over to the blindside. With RG Ryan Diem (ankle) also out, the Colts’ line is a hot mess.

The rookie had secured Indianapolis’ swing tackle job before going down. The Colts desperately need starter Anthony Castonzo (ankle) to get healthy in time for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. The 49th overall pick in the draft, Ijalana was a very promising prospect and showed well in spot duty early in the year. He was probably going to be a starter in short order.