JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars control their destiny for a playoff berth. With that said, they are approaching Trevor Lawrence's right-shoulder sprain with caution.
He missed his first NFL start against the Carolina Panthers. C.J. Beathard played the game in full, despite one snap made by Matt Barkley.
In addition, Jamal Agnew suffered a fracture to his lower leg against the Panthers. Head Coach Doug Pederson said he'll be out the rest of the season.
Injuries continue to add hurdles to the Jaguars lineup.
"Obviously, if it were a defensive guy, say like Andre Cisco, who had a shoulder injury earlier, you can harness those things and kind of keep things nice and tight, and he can still practice, as long as you don't bang 'em around and all that," said Jaguars' head coach Doug Pederson. "Well, the quarterback, you're handing the ball off with that right arm. You're throwing with the right arm. You're stressing the shoulder a little bit more. Those are all things you've got to be careful of, and it really is a tolerance thing more than anything else, but you still want to be careful every day you're out there."
This is Lawrence's fourth injury of the season, so backup quarterback C.J. Beathard has taken first-team reps with the offense many times. He has also seen game action over the last month.
In December, Beathard completed 20 of 25 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown. So, with all his preparation and gameplay, Pederson said he is confident in whoever goes under center against the Carolina Panthers.
"The one thing about C.J. is, in Trevor's absence during the week, it's valuable that C.J. has gotten all the reps and he's prepared that way, and he's ready to go at a moment's notice," said Pederson. "He stepped in last week and obviously did a nice job for us at the end of that game, but it's a tough decision. But sometimes, you've got to make, or I have to make those decisions based on Trevor's health and obviously where we are as a team."