Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is encouraged by the progress Jacksonville starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence has made in recovery from a left, non-throwing shoulder injury suffered in Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Lawrence — who missed Jacksonville’s last two games after getting hurt against Philadelphia, even though he finished that contest — returned to practice with the Jaguars on Monday and is slated to continue working on Wednesday.
Pederson did not solidify Lawrence’s status for Jacksonville’s Week 13 home matchup with the Houston Texans one way or another. But the quarterback appears to be trending toward a return to play this Sunday.
“It’s encouraging,” Pederson said Wednesday. “You know, we’ll get through today, obviously. I’m not going to commit, but it was a good start to the week and so we’ll see how he handles much more of a workload today.”
Lawrence reportedly 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 hinted Lawrence should receive the majority of first-team quarterback reps during Jacksonville’s Wednesday practice. However, Pederson intends to continue deploying backup quarterback Mac Jones with the group to prepare for a potential third-consecutive 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 opportunities to take first-team reps, just to keep him fresh and keep him engaged,” Pederson said. “But [I] would love to see Trevor get the bulk of the work when the ones are out there today.”
Jacksonville vs. Houston is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, at EverBank Stadium.