Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson likes Trevor Lawrence’s chances at getting cleared from concussion protocol in time to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
“Part of the protocol and where he’s at in the stages is that he can practice today,” Pederson said Friday. “That still doesn’t mean he’s cleared, but part of it is to go through a practice and the stress and all of that kind of stuff on him. So he’ll be out there today and going through it. … We’ll give him as much as we can, as much as he can tolerate.
“He is trending in the right direction and hopefully things go well today.”
So is it fair to call Lawrence a coin flip to play Sunday?
“I think it’s better than that, than a coin flip,” Pederson said. “But still, this is Friday and he’s still technically in the protocol until he can clear, so you really can’t even compare it to a coin flip. It has to be a yes or no type of deal.”
Lawrence, 24, landed in the NFL’s concussion protocol after self-reporting symptoms shortly after a 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15. While both Pederson and backup quarterback C.J. Beathard said the quarterback was progressing well Wednesday, his absence in back-to-back practices made it appear as though a return in Week 16 was a long shot.
“Generally, if a quarterback — or really any player — is not able to practice Wednesday, not able to practice Thursday, it almost always that means the player is not going to progress fast enough through the concussion protocol to play on Sunday,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Thursday night.
Lawrence was previously a game-time decision twice this season after suffering a knee injury in October and an ankle injury earlier in December. The third-year quarterback has never missed a game since getting drafted by the Jaguars in 2021.
