JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars are inching closer and closer to the start of the preseason and the questions about Trevor Lawrence will pick right back up.
The Chiefs head to Jacksonville on Aug. 10 for the first preseason game and it’s unlikely the starters will such much sustained action in that game, or the two that follow (Buccaneers on Aug. 16 and Falcons on Aug. 23). That means maximizing the reps in camp and joint practices is a must. One of the major things that the Jaguars have worked to address are the issues of Lawrence’s turnovers. That has been a theme through Lawrence’s first three years in the league (a staggering 60 in that span) and something that has been talked about ad nauseum this offseason.
Recommended Videos
Coach Doug Pederson has mentioned Lawrence working on cutting those down and knows that camp is the perfect place to fine tune any changes.
“Look, I challenge him and all the quarterbacks because this is how I was challenged in camp,” Pederson said. “See what you can get away with now. See what type of throws you can make. Can I make that tight window throw? If it gets knocked down, if it gets picked, okay, great, that’s fine, good for the defense, but then it just reinforces certain things from a quarterback’s perspective.”
The offense started training camp misfiring and struggling. In the time since full pads went on Tuesday, that has evened out. All three quarterbacks, Lawrence, CJ Beathard and Mac Jones, have looked far more in synch the remainder of the week.
Beathard said camps tend to favor the defense in the early going and balance out once the full pads go on. Like Pederson said, Beathard feels that if there’s an opportunity to try and make a throw that the staff has a question on, early in camp is when to try it.
The Jaguars head into EverBank Stadium on Saturday for their lone training camp practice on the big field. Jacksonville has made that practice its annual day to honor and show support to military members and their families. The team wore special military-themed jerseys last year and Pederson said that they’ll do that again Saturday.
“It’s a great day. We do invite the military and their families here, and I think it’s great to honor them and get the fans in the stadium. It’s good for our new players who haven’t experienced that, to get over there and practice over there and experience that. So, it’s a good day. It’s a really good day and I look forward to it every year.”
Notebook
- Injuries were a major concern on Friday. Pederson said in his press conference that safety Andrew Wingard will be out a significant period of time with a knee injury. Wingard limped off the field in a Tuesday practice. Right tackle Anton Harrison was placed in the concussion protocol. In addition to those two, practice saw numerous players depart due to injury.
- The scariest and likely the most severe injury came to tight end Patrick Murtagh, an Australian who is with the Jaguars through the NFL’s International Pathway Program. Murtagh was injured while blocking during a goal line series from inside the 10. Murtagh slammed his hand into the ground when he noticed the severity of his injury. When the crowd caught a glimpse of Murtagh’s ankle awkwardly out of position and a doctor trying to move it back into place, it let out a collective groan and gasp. Players stopped what they were doing on the field and knelt down as the medical staff got Murtagh’s leg in an air cast. In terms of tough days, this was the most difficult of camp. Murtagh did wave to the crowd and left on the cart with a smile on his face, but there was no glossing it over. It was bad. “It’s been a good day. Tragic events, but it’s still all part of the game,” Travon Walker said after practice.
- Offensive tackle Cam Robinson had a shoulder injury. Defensive lineman De’Shaan Dixon injured his ankle during 1-on-1 drills against the offensive line. Linebacker Foye Oluokun appeared to tweak something in his left leg during 7 on 7. Cooper Hodges (back) was held out on Friday. Tight end Josh Pederson also went down with an ankle injury.
- The 1-on-1 battles between the offensive and defensive lines are one of the best drills in camp. Two of the better head to heads were Walker against Robinson, with each taking a win against the other. Walker Little stuffed rookie Myles Cole twice. Rookie Maason Smith and Brandon Scherff put on a good display that was probably best classified as a draw.
- The offense flashed again on Friday, especially in goal-to-go type situations. A run by Tank Bigsby was impressive, taking a pitch and fighting through tackles around the right side to barrel into the end zone. The play got Lawrence pumped up. He slapped hands or tapped the helmets of players who opened the holes or blocked for Bigsby’s run. Bigsby continues to be one of the better offensive players in camp.
- Linebacker Tanner Muse, signed this week, looked sharp on Friday. He broke up passes in 7-on and 11-on segments and was in on several touch tackles that were would have been tackles in an actual live period. He nearly had an interception off Mac Jones, losing control of the ball after a diving pass breakup.
- Jones had a nice touchdown throw to tight end Josiah Deguara in the back of the end zone. Deguara managed to slip behind the safeties, went up high and snagged the touchdown.
- Receiver Elijah Cooks continues to make a strong push for the roster. He had a diving grab on a low throw from CJ Beathard.
- Rookie DeAntre Prince had a beautiful pick during 1-on-1 drills. He was covering Brenton Strange, jammed him at the line and read the ball from CJ Beathard perfectly and intercepted it with one hand.
- Receiver Austin Trammell beat Christian Braswell for a touchdown in 1-on-1s, looking around just in time on the throw from Jones to bring it in. That play drew audible “ahhs” from the fans.