Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is encouraged by the progress Jacksonville starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence has made in recovering from a left non-throwing shoulder injury he suffered in Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Lawrence – who missed Jacksonville's last two games after getting injured against Philadelphia, although he finished that contest – with the Jaguars on Monday and is scheduled to continue working on Wednesday.
Pederson hasn't solidified Lawrence's status one way or another for Jacksonville's Week 13 home game against the Houston Texans. But the quarterback appears to be leaning toward playing again this Sunday.
“It’s encouraging,” Pederson said Wednesday. “You know, of course we’ll get through today. I won’t commit, but it was a good start to the week and we’ll see how he copes with the much heavier workload today.”
Lawrence suffered a “significant” AC joint sprain in his left shoulder against the Eagles.
Lawrence has completed 168 of 274 (61.3%) passes for 2,004 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine starts with the Jaguars this season.
Pederson indicated that Lawrence should receive the majority of first-team quarterback representation during Wednesday's practice in Jacksonville. However, Pederson intends to continue adding backup quarterback Mac Jones to the group as he prepares for a potential third straight start.
Jones completed 31 of 51 passes for 249 yards with three interceptions and a fumble in place of Lawrence against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10 and the Detroit Lions in Week 11.
“It probably wouldn’t be 50-50. But still, Mac will get the opportunity to take first-team representation just to keep him fresh and keep him motivated,” Pederson said. “But [I] I’d like to see Trevor do the majority of the work when these are out there today.”
Jacksonville vs. Houston is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at EverBank Stadium.
