Jacksonville Jaguars backup quarterback C.J. Beathard is ready to start Thursday if Trevor Lawrence can’t play due to a knee injury he suffered Sunday in a Week 6 win. He isn’t counting on it, though.
“Shoot, I’ve been here two-and-a-half years with him and he hasn’t missed a single game,” Beathard said Tuesday after practice. “He’s as tough as they come and I know he’s doing anything and everything he can right now to be ready to play. I mean, it’s still very likely that he plays this week.”
Beathard, a former starter during his time with the San Francisco 49ers, did say he took the majority of the first-team snaps at practice Tuesday, though.
Lawrence, 24, has started every game for the Jaguars since getting picked No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL draft. Last season, the quarterback suffered a toe injury that limited his ability to practice for more than a month, but he continued to play through the remainder of the season.
On Tuesday, Lawrence was back on the practice field, but wore a brace over his injured left knee.
Trevor Lawrence out at practice today with a brace on his left knee. #Jaguars travel to New Orleans tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/YAhMEwhwkQ
— Adam Stites (@AdamStites_) October 17, 2023
The injury for Lawrence occurred on a sack in the final minutes of the Jaguars’ 37-20 win against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. While he didn’t return to the game, the only other offensive snaps for Jacksonville were three kneels by Beathard.
After the game, Lawrence told reporters immediately after the game that he was “feeling OK,” But Jaguars coach Doug Pederson played coy on Monday when asked about Lawrence’s status for a Thursday game against the New Orleans Saints.
In the Jaguars’ first injury report ahead of the Week 7 game, Lawrence was listed as “did not participate,” although that was an estimation if the team held a practice Monday.
