Could Trevor Lawrence play less than a week after his ankle injury? The latest update
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at the Cleveland Browns, per head coach Doug Pederson.
“He’s feeling good, we’ll see. He moved around a little bit (Thursday),” Pederson said Friday. “We’ll see how he does today. Kind of base it on medical staff, how Trevor feels and if he can go or not.”
Lawrence will be a game-time decision after mending a high-ankle sprain on his right leg which he suffered in last week’s game versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
He missed Wednesday’s practice but was able to participate on Thursday and Friday on a limited basis.
“It’s always a collaborative process, you don’t want to take any further risks, especially with where we’re at in the season,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “You want to be able to play through the rest of the year and into the playoffs.”
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He did not take part in quarterback mobility drills Thursday, but was able to move well on Friday and throw the ball seemingly without issue during the open-to-media portion of the practices.
With Lawrence listed as questionable, it puts his 46-game streak of consecutive starts in jeopardy.
If he can’t play, the Jaguars will turn to backup quarterback CJ Beathard and will likely elevate practice squad quarterback Nathan Rourke for Sunday’s game.
Beathard, who has appeared in 30 games in his eight-year career, has been on the injury report this week with a left shoulder injury. When asked about the injury earlier this week, he told reporters he was feeling fine.
Rourke was brought in this season from the Canadian Football League. He played for the BC Lions and passed for 4,103 yards and 28 touchdowns in two years with the club. His wonder-play against Dallas during Jacksonville’s preseason created buzz for him around the league.
According to Pederson, Lawrence will be a game-time decision. That's similar to the Week 7 Thursday Night Football game against New Orleans, where Lawrence battled through a knee injury to play.
“We’ve kind of gone through this with him,” Pederson said. “We did it last year with the toe, we did it this year with the knee, and he’s played, if history suggests, he’s played the next week … to me it shows his toughness. Physical toughness, mental toughness.
“When your quarterback exudes that I think it sends a message to your team, in a good way. The fact that he’s willing and able to put himself out there for his teammates and his team speaks volumes.”