The Jaguars’ starters only played two series against the Chiefs in the first week, but will have a lot more work to do against the Falcons at the end of the preseason.
Jaguars Doug Pederson talks about starters’ playing time in Week 3 of the preseason
Jacksonville Jaguars HC Doug Pederson met with the media on Monday, August 19, to discuss the team’s game plans for Saturday.
Training camp is over and the Jacksonville Jaguars are almost ready for the regular season. The team will play its final preseason game on Friday, August 23, away against the Atlanta Falcons.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said player participation in the team’s starting lineup will be about two quarters, giving them a real warm-up before Week 1 of the regular season.
“In this third and final preseason game, we usually let the regular players play a little more. It depends on the circumstances and the game,” Pederson said Monday morning before training.
Jaguars camp report day 18: Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones have problems with accuracy
“But you’d like to maybe make it two quarters. We’re looking at Atlanta a bit and now that training camp is over, we’re simulating a game week according to the schedule.”
This week’s game against the Falcons will give the Jaguars a better idea of how the team’s core players will perform in the regular season. After weeks of preparation, seeing QB Trevor Lawrence play with multiple receivers and have consistent success on offense will justify the team’s work this summer.
Lawrence played just nine snaps in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.
This week also offers Jacksonville a chance to get to know the team’s new form of defense, with the majority of the team’s regular players expected to be available.
The Jaguars players no longer live together in a hotel, but instead drive to work using their own transportation and live at home. This week offers the team a simulation of a real game week, with the core players preparing for the most extensive preseason play yet.
CJ Beathard and Christian Kirk will miss Friday’s game against the Falcons
Pederson said Monday that both quarterback CJ Beathard (groin) and WR Christian Kirk (calf) will miss this week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
“CJ (Beathard), groin. He’s hurt again. He’s going to miss this week. Christian (Kirk) is going to miss again. Still calf issues. Feels good, but I’m just going to hold him out this week,” Pederson said.
Beathard missed a large portion of the team’s offseason program and several weeks of 2022 training camp due to a groin injury, the most recent of which occurred on Saturday in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kirk missed most of practice last week, including the game, after suffering what Pederson called a “mild calf injury.”
Arik Armstead returns to training, Darnell Savage takes off his jersey for non-contact training
Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead participated in practice on Monday in full gear for the first time since being signed earlier this year.
He wore a brace on his right knee but participated in all individual drills and sat out team practices as he continues to work on his recovery from offseason knee surgery.
Although Armstead’s practice sessions are increasing, Pederson said he “can’t say anything about the game yet. But we’ll work on some individual things and then slowly move forward with him.”
Safety Darnell Savage, who has worn a red non-contact jersey all summer, officially retired the jersey on Monday and participated in full-contact drills. Savage signed with the Jaguars with a shoulder injury and has been slowly introduced as one of the team’s starters on defense.
Savage recorded an interception during team practice on Monday.
Jaguars want as much time as possible and want to start cutting the roster soon
Pederson and Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke will begin the process with scouts and the rest of the team’s coaching staff to trim the roster to 53 players before the Aug. 27 deadline.
Although there are only eight days left until then, Pederson wants to spend as much time as possible with the existing players and not rush the process.
“We talk. We have personnel meetings after every game and throughout training camp and we talk about the roster. It’s too early to make any decisions,” Pederson said.
“I mean, obviously Trevor (QB Trevor Lawrence) is the quarterback and Josh (DE Josh Hines-Allen) will be the defensive end. So we know that much. But after that, it’s still an evaluation. We still want to spend as much time with those guys as possible until the last minute.”
The Jaguars have several players who are likely to be signed by other teams if they are released. On the other hand, the team will also be scouring the league’s waiver lists to look for possible improvements to the roster.
Jacksonville’s depth has impressed observers this summer and the results of the past two weeks of games, albeit in the preseason, are another benchmark to point to. Part of that success is likely thanks to the team’s onboarding process, a structure that began anew in January when Baalke admitted the need for change and Pederson and the team’s coaching staff executed it.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.
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