JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars’ injury news was mixed Monday.
There was some good news at wide receiver and some bad news at the same position – and at quarterback, the news was that Trevor Lawrence’s status remains unknown entering the final week of the 2023 regular season.
“He is progressing,” Head Coach Doug Pederson said Monday, a day after the Jaguars’ 26-0 victory over the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium.
Lawrence missed his first career start Sunday with a sprained AC joint sustained in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the previous Sunday. Backup C.J. Beathard completed 17 of 24 passes for 178 yards and no touchdowns with no interceptions in his first start since joining the Jaguars as Lawrence’s backup in 2021.
The Jaguars (9-7) will play the Tennessee Titans (5-11) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday. If the Jaguars win, they will win their second consecutive AFC South title.
“We’ll see,” Pederson said Monday of Lawrence’s chances to play Sunday. “He was in today getting his treatment and rehab and all that. It’s kind of day to day right now, so we’ll see how he is on Wednesday. We’ll see what his limitations or whatever might be.
“He’s definitely improving.”
Lawrence did not practice Wednesday, Thursday or Friday last week.
“He didn’t have a setback,” Pederson said. “He just wasn’t there as far as throwing the football at the end of the week so we just kind of kept him inside. He did come out for some of the team stuff and was around for that, but just wanted to get extra time in the training room before he came out.”
Pederson also on Monday said the Jaguars could be significantly healthier in the starting lineup at wide receiver Sunday, with Zay Jones having a chance to return after missing the last two games and Christian Kirk eligible to have his window opened to return from injured reserve this week.
Kirk, who caught 57 passes for 787 yards and three touchdowns in the first 12 games of the season, missed the last four games with a core muscle injury sustained in a Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Added Pederson, “It was definitely a bad injury for him and obviously bad for our offense. But he’s in a position right now to maybe help us this week. We’ll see where he is at, if we go ahead and open his window on Wednesday and get him out there and see what he can do. You definitely want your best players on the field this time of year. He’s one of those players for us.”