The Jacksonville Jaguars already played the “will he, or won’t he?” game with Trevor Lawrence three times this season and the 24-year-old quarterback has answered the call every time. While a knee sprain, ankle sprain, and concussion weren’t enough to keep him out of action, a shoulder sprain presents new challenges.
“Of course, I’ll do anything I can to be out there and play,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “This is a little unique because it’s my throwing shoulder which can make things a little more challenging as a quarterback. It’s kind of hard to work around that, other body parts and things that are bothering you, I feel like you can work around a little bit. That makes it a little tough.
“We’ll just have to see how it feels each day, I can’t really answer that now. Of course, I’m doing everything I can to be able to play. I don’t know what that looks like quite yet here on Wednesday and it’s still early.”
Lawrence was the only Jaguars player who didn’t practice Wednesday and instead watched the session with offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
#Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence isn’t practicing today, but is here watching it, sticking by OC Press Taylor as he nurses an AC sprain with his right throwing shoulder; pic.twitter.com/VPC6kdK4Wc
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) December 27, 2023
That, according to Lawrence, is all part of the plan to give him the best shot at playing Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
“Obviously things can change, but as of right now, I don’t plan on doing much today and we’ll see tomorrow,” Lawrence said about an hour before the practice session got started. “Taking it day by day, but yeah, not really going to throw any today and from there, you never know how things are going to heal up and how quickly you’re going to recover.
“Right now, it’s still pretty sore and still working through the beginning stages of getting back. We’ll see how it goes, but that’s the plan right now.”
In Lawrence’s first game back from a knee injury in October, he threw for 204 yards and a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints along with a team-leading 59 rushing yards. But he threw three interceptions against the Cleveland Browns in his first game back from an ankle injury and two interceptions last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol Saturday.
After the Jaguars’ most recent loss, Lawrence voiced his frustration, telling reporters “it looks like we don’t even practice.” Another week of limited practice threatens to exacerbate those issues.
“There’s no avoiding the fact that it is important to practice and get the reps,” Lawrence said. “I’d love to be able to get out there as soon as I can because I know that’s important and that’s something that we need. We need to clean up some stuff. That’s something I’ve definitely missed and I’m excited to be able to do that soon.”
If Lawrence can’t play Sunday, the Jaguars would turn to C.J. Beathard to step into the starting lineup against the Panthers. The team also signed 11th year veteran Matt Barkley to be a third quarterback on the active roster.
