Julius Thomas out a month after surgery

If there was anything the Jaguars couldn't do without with the regular season approaching, it was a major target for second year quarterback Blake Bortles.

But tight end Julius Thomas is apparently headed for an operation to repair his  injured finger, keeping him away for at least a month, according to NFL Media.

The surgery comes on the tail end of the second opinion Jaguars general manager David Caldwell said was to come after Thomas broke his finger in the team's preseason opener.

His absence could jeopardize what the team expected and hoped would be a much improved offensive scheme.

Thomas was a major free agent acquisition for the Jaguars, who signed him to a five-year deal worth $46 million, luring him away from the Broncos in March.

Clay Harbor and Mercedes Lewis are the next men up on the depth chart at tight end, and wide receivers Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Marqise Lee remain as viable options in what last season was the NFL's second-worst overall passing offense.