Trevor Lawrence won’t play in Jaguars preseason game vs. Tampa Bay

Although Trevor Lawrence saw some action in the Jaguars preseason opener against the Chiefs, he’ll be sitting out this weekend in favor of backups C.J. Beathard and Mac Jones.

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson made the announcement, Thursday, ahead of Jacksonville’s game against the Buccaneers. It’s not that Lawrence is injured. But the two teams have conducted two days of joint practices. It’s basically a controlled scrimmage.

“Right now, Trevor, with getting all the reps here, he won’t go,” Pederson told reporters. “It’ll be Mac and C.J.. They’ll split half a piece.”

Beathard has played for Jacksonville since 2021 and started a game for Lawrence last fall. Meanwhile, the Jaguars acquired Jones, the former Alabama star and first-round draft pick, from the Patriots this off season. Jones is a one-time Pro Bowler who started into his third season in New England. However, he fell out of favor with then coach Bill Belichick. After the coaching change, the team still traded him to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick. They then selected Drake Maye with the third pick of the first round.

The Florida Times Union noted that Lawrence was successful in the two Jaguars practices against the Bucs. Lawrence completed 13 of his 18 passes during 7-on-7 drills for seven touchdowns. In full 11-on-11 workouts, Lawrence was 18 of 27 for a touchdown. He suffered no turnovers.

Pederson wouldn’t say whether Beathard or Jones would start. In last weekend’s game, Beathard came in before Jones.

Meanwhile, while Lawrence was healthy and practicing, the Jaguars were without receiver Christian Kirk. He’s now missed two straight days of workouts as he deals with a calf strain. Pederson described it as a “mild” strain. Kirk played briefly against the Chiefs, but didn’t catch a pass. He was at practice on Monday and Tuesday.