Trevor Lawrence won’t play for the Jaguars in Saturday’s preseason game, which means that it will be C.J. Beathard and Mac Jones handling the quarterback duties against the Buccaneers.
Beathard and Jones have been competing for the backup job this summer and head coach Doug Pederson declined to say who would get the start this weekend during a Thursday press conference. Pederson didn’t tip his hand about which way the competition is trending with one preseason game already in the books.
“It has been really close honestly,” Pederson said, via the team’s website. “The addition of Mac was great for that room. It was great for C.J. Both those guys have really embraced the challenge. We’ve been upfront with both of them and explained exactly how camp was going to go and really both of them I think are within three or four reps of having a 50-50 split right down the middle. So, it’s been good. It’s been good competition.”
Beathard has been with the Jags for the past three seasons and he made one start last year, so he’s more experienced in the system than the former Patriots first-round pick. That may not make him the best man to take over in case of an injury for Lawrence, however, and Saturday’s game should shed some more light on which quarterback best fits that description.