Why Isn’t Trevor Lawrence Playing for the Jaguars in the Hall of Fame Game?
Following an up-and-down rookie campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence will soon begin his sophomore NFL season.
But that second season won’t begin at the Hall of Fame Game Thursday night when the Jags take on the new-look Las Vegas Raiders.
Trevor Lawrence will sit out the Hall of Fame Game between the Jaguars and Raiders
New Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson announced earlier this week that Lawrence would indeed sit in Canton. But not to worry, Jags fans, the 22-year-old isn’t injured. He’s been a full participant in training camp thus far, and Pederson simply doesn’t want to overwork his young signal-caller.
“Trevor’s been getting a lot of great looks here in practice. [We] feel he’s in a good spot.”
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson on Trevor Lawrence
While Lawrence isn’t dealing with an injury, the same can’t be said for backup quarterback C.J. Beathard, who suffered a groin injury during OTAs and is still recovering. He’ll also sit on Thursday night, as will Lawrence’s Clemson teammate, Travis Etienne.
The second-year running back, who suffered a season-ending foot injury in the Jags’ second preseason game a year ago, has also been a full participant in camp but missed time this week due to illness.
With Lawrence and Beathard both out, expect third-year QB Jake Luton to take most of the snaps during the Hall of Fame Game. The former Oregon State star was drafted by Jacksonville in 2020 but was waived during final roster cuts last year.
Luton spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins in 2021 and rejoined the Jags this year on a reserve/future contract. The 26-year-old is expected to battle Beathard for the QB2 spot, so there’s certainly pressure on him to perform well against the Raiders.
It’s currently expected that Lawrence will take his first snaps of the year when the Jaguars host the Cleveland Browns on Friday, August 12. Last year’s No. 1 overall pick threw for a franchise rookie record 3,641 yards with 12 touchdowns but also threw a league-high 17 interceptions.
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
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