Jacksonville starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence is expected to return from a non-throwing shoulder injury and play in Week 13 against the Houston Texans, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson announced Friday.
Lawrence missed Jacksonville's last two games after suffering a sprained ACL in his left shoulder in Week 9 against Philadelphia. He returned to practice on a limited basis this week after not participating in Week 11 and giving the Jaguars a bye in Week 12.
“Yeah, I mean he had a good week. He obviously did some really good things this week,” Pederson said Friday. “I would say from now on: Yes, he will play. You know, we’re getting through today, Friday, Saturday, but he’s had a good week.”
Pederson indicated he wouldn't drastically change Jacksonville's offensive game plan if Lawrence were to play Houston. However, he will be careful to put his quarterback in situations where he could make contact.
“I mean, you don’t want your quarterback getting hit anyway. But yeah, I mean, you just have to be aware of not moving or having too many runs planned or something like that,” Pederson explained.
“But if he’s allowed to pay, we’ll go play. I can’t worry about getting hit, taking a shot or anything like that.”
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.
Jacksonville vs. Houston is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. on Sunday at EverBank Stadium.
