JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It is almost game day.
The Jaguars will open their preseason schedule on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns.
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But who will be the Jaguars starting quarterback when they take the field? We still don’t have an answer.
Urban Meyer, speaking before practice on Thursday, said that they would talk later in the day about who would start at quarterback. Meyer said the QB competition is still ongoing. Trevor Lawrence said that he does expect to play on Saturday but he doesn’t know how much yet.
I know fans want to see Lawrence make the start, but why does it matter who takes the first snaps of the game at quarterback in a preseason game? It matters about as much as who wins.
I’m sure the Jaguars ticket sales office would have loved for Meyer to say Lawrence would start and play a lot of snaps, but he isn’t motivated by that.
I’m a proponent for Meyer giving Lawrence the start because I think it is in the Jaguars’ best interest to have the best guys blocking for him. No offense to some of the Jaguars backup offensive linemen, but you don’t want them blocking for your franchise QB in his first NFL action.
Notebook
• Thursday’s practice was more of a glorified walkthrough. It is was a typical practice leading up to a game. So, the notebook will be very brief.
• Andrew Norwell will not play Saturday night. He is dealing with an elbow injury.
• Chris Claybrooks got some reps with the first-team punt team as a gunner. If Claybrooks can earn a job like that he could be the Jags sixth corner.
• Trevor Lawrence worked with the starting group and spoke after practice. Read into that how every you would like.
• Rayshawn Jenkins is going to spend a lot of time in the box near the line of scrimmage.
Four players to watch for
Tim Tebow: Saturday will be a huge game for Tebow. He had a strong start to camp but has faded a bit. Tebow needs to put some good things on film during the game. Plus it would be pretty cool to see him catch a TD at the bank.
CJ Henderson: After a long list of setbacks, CJ is finally getting back on track. There have been rumors that the Jaguars would be OK trading Henderson. Well, teams would want to see him on the field before they trade anything substantial for him. I think ultimately Henderson stay in town. If he can return to form, the combination of Griffin, Campbell and Henderson will be fierce.
Travis Etienne: Etienne is that other first-round pick for the Jaguars. The Jaguars may not want to show their hand in the preseason when it comes to their plans for him. Even if Etienne only lines up at running back, I’m sure his speed will turn some heads.
Andre Cisco: The Jaguars are set with Rayshawn Jenkins starting at one safety spot. The other safety spot is still up in the air. Cisco hasn’t played in a football game since October when he tore his ACL. If Cisco can make some plays during the preseason he is the perfect guy for the other safety position based on what the Jaguars want to do on defense.