Saints defense preparing as if Trevor Lawrence will start for Jaguars on TNF

Trevor Lawrence is dealing with a knee injury, but the Saints, his next opponent, are expecting to see the Jaguars quarterback for Thursday Night Football.

Lawrence practiced Tuesday, albeit with a brace. The Jags listed him as limited. He did not participate in Monday’s workouts as Jacksonville deals with a short week.

Still, the Saints are prepping for Lawrence to be in the lineup. That way, if it’s CJ Beathard, the Jaguars QB2 plays, New Orleans still will have some idea of the Jacksonville offense. After all, there’s not much time to tweak it.

“We’re preparing for (Trevor Lawrence), I can promise you that,” Saints defensive coordinator Joe Woods told reporters.

“He’s very good; he has all the skills, the arm strength to make all the throws,” Woods said. “You can see him process, he’s getting them into the right plays at the line of scrimmage, and he has all types of weapons at every skill position. They’re a well-oiled machine.”

After Tuesday’s practice, Lawrence said he felt “optimistic” that he’ll see action against the Saints.

“I’m going to do everything I can to be out there,” Lawrence said. “I feel a lot better today than I would have thought, so I like how I’m progressing.”

If not, the Jaguars will use Beathard, the former Iowa star. He signed with Jacksonville in 2021 and has appeared in six games with the team. His last start came in 2020. Plus, the Jaguars are signing Nathan Rourke, a former CFL star, to the active roster.

Jaguars coach defended decision to keep Lawrence in game

The Jaguars knocked off the Colts, 37-20, last Sunday. It was their first game back since playing consecutive contests in London. However, there was blow back from fans who questioned why Lawrence was in the game when he hurt his knee. It happened on a sack with about three minutes to go.

“Look, is there a little bit of risk there to run your quarterback? Yes,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said in his post-game press conference. “But at the same time, the reward is you get the first down, and you stay on the field and ice the game in those situations. Definitely wouldn’t change the scenario or the situation. We can coach that a little bit better and ask him maybe to go down a little bit sooner.”

Lawrence, the former Clemson star, was the first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s yet to miss a game because of an injury.

And if you’re curious, here’s the injury list for the Jaguars headed into their game at New Orleans.

Player	Position	Injury	Mon	Tue	Wed	Game Status
Tyson Campbell	CB	Hamstring	DNP	DNP		Unspecified
DaVon Hamilton	DT	Back	FP	FP		Unspecified
Zay Jones	WR	Knee	DNP	DNP		Unspecified
Trevor Lawrence	QB	Knee	DNP	LP		Unspecified
Walker Little	OT	Knee	DNP	DNP		Unspecified
Brandon Scherff	G	Ankle	DNP	DNP		Unspecified