Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will practice Friday as he remains in concussion protocol ahead of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to head coach Doug Pederson.
Lawrence was placed in concussion protocol following Jacksonville’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15.
"Part of protocol and where he's at in the stages is he can practice today. That still doesn't mean he's cleared, but part of it is to actually to go through a practice, and the stress, and all that kind of stuff on him," Pederson told reporters while adding that Lawrence will not be limited on Friday.
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Lawrence did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday and was unlikely to play as of Thursday night, according to NFL media.
"Trevor Lawrence not on the practice field again," NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport said Thursday. "Doug Pederson started the week by saying he was progressing well in the NFL’s concussion protocol, but that has not put him on the field. And generally, if a quarterback, or really any player, is not able to practice Wednesday, not able to practice Thursday, almost always that means the player is not going to progress fast enough through the concussion protocol to be able to play on Sunday.
"It is a big game for the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Bucs. One they absolutely have to have, but it does seem like it’s going to be CJ Beathard. The backup quarterback who did spend a week early in the season preparing as if he was the starter when Trevor Lawrence was dealing with that ankle injury. It does seem that Beathard is going to get the start here for the Jags."
Lawrence has started every game for the Jaguars since he was selected with the first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, a streak of 48 consecutive games.
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"We've been through this," Jacksonville offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Thursday, according to the Jaguars’ website . "This is not as chaotic as people would think. We're not sure of Trevor's status going into a game. Now, they have different skillsets, so you may feature different things based on the timing of the way they get the ball out, their movement skills, different things like that maybe you feature one way or the other.
"He (Beathard) is a quarterback. They both operate really well from the pocket, the things we want to do, the things they see well, then utilizing the guys around them is a big part of it."
Jacksonville has dropped three straight games and now sit at 8-6, tied with the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts atop the AFC South.
Lawrence played against the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Cincinnati Bengals the week prior.
