An injury to Trevor Lawrence’s non-throwing shoulder led the Jacksonville Jaguars to re-sign veteran backup C.J. Beathard.
The Jaguars (2-7) signed Beathard off Miami’s practice squad on Wednesday to provide “assurance” in case Lawrence is unable to play against Minnesota (6-2), coach Doug Pederson explained.
Pederson mentioned that Lawrence will be limited in practice on Wednesday. Mac Jones remains the backup quarterback, with Beathard now as the third option.
The three quarterbacks spent the offseason together before Beathard injured his groin during the preseason and was released.
“From our standpoint, we felt like we had a really good quarterback room with the three guys,” Pederson said. “C.J. got hurt there in camp and we had to let him go and all that, but we definitely wanted to at some point get him back here.
“I think it just strengthens our roster, strengthens that room. Trevor’s sore, obviously, and it gives us assurance.”
Lawrence got hurt while scrambling on a second-and-9 play in the second quarter against Philadelphia on Sunday. Instead of sliding, Lawrence chose to dive head-first and was hit hard by linebacker Zack Baun.
“I’m doing everything I can to be out there,” Lawrence said. “When I’ve gotten banged up in the past, just try to do everything I can during the week to prepare myself to play Sunday and put as much time as possible into that and getting healthy. That’s the way my mind is right now.”
Lawrence, the top pick in the 2021 draft, missed a game for the first time in his career in 2023 after suffering a sprained right shoulder in Week 16. He has also missed significant practice time because of other injuries, including a sprained left knee in Week 6, a sprained right ankle in Week 13, and a concussion in Week 15.
The injuries contributed to the worst late-season collapse in franchise history. The Jaguars lost five of their final six games last season and missed the playoffs, despite spending three months at the top of the AFC South.
Still, the Jaguars signed Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million contract extension in June, making him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history. However, Lawrence has now lost 12 of his last 14 starts.
