Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is dealing with a knee injury, but said on Tuesday that he’s doing what he can to play in Thursday’s game against the Saints.
But if Lawrence can’t play, C.J. Beathard will get the start on a short week.
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor said on Tuesday that he’s very confident Beathard can come in and run the offense at a high level.
“He’s got experience in this league, he’s got experience now in our system, the guys around him trust him,” Taylor said in his press conference. “We know he can go out and function in a solid way with the possibility to win the game if that’s what we needed to do.”
Beathard has been with the Jaguars since 2021, appearing in eight games. He’s thrown only 15 passes, completing 11 of them for 77 yards with an interception.
Beathard’s last start was in 2020 for the 49ers. He’s compiled a 2-10 record as a starter.
“There may be some things that you feature more so if it’s one quarterback versus the other, but no, we don’t feel like it really affects our offense much,” Taylor said.
Lawrence also said he’s “really confident” in Beathard’s ability to run the offense if needed.
“He prepares every week like he’s the starter,” Lawrence said in his press conference. “He’s always ready for that opportunity, we talk a lot during the week and we watch tape together, all the quarterbacks do. He’s going to be prepared either way like he’s a starter, whether I was questionable going into the game or not, he still prepares the same way.
“I got a lot of confidence in him; I know our staff does. Our players do, I think that’s a big thing, too. The guys up front, the guys in the perimeter, backfield, all that. They all have a lot of faith in him. He’s a guy that’s ready to step in if that’s needed, he’s going to do great.”
