Jacksonville Jaguars won’t name Lawrence the starter yet, Day 16 notes

The 2021 NFL regular season is inching closer and the Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t named a starting quarterback yet. Instead, Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew have split reps with the first team throughout training camp.

Lawrence got the starting nod against the Cleveland Browns even though Minshew got with most work with the ones. Before Thursday’s practice, Jaguars offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had a sitdown with the local media and said the rookie will probably start once again. He added that both quarterbacks will continue alternating reps with the first team.

"We’re still going to handle it that way until we end up making the final decision. Right now, it’s still status quo."

You could argue that Lawrence should be exclusively working with the starters but there are two preseason games still left to play. It will be a cause of concern if the Jags won’t have named him the starter by Week 1 of the regular season. However, the rookie passer could also benefit from working with the twos. He’s gotten the chance to practice with most of his teammates, showing adaptability and the ability to adjust while doing so.

Furthermore, Minshew won’t get as much work as he’s getting once the regular season starts, so the Jaguars are giving him as many reps as they can. In the end, it’s just a matter of time before the Jaguars name Lawrence the starter but they will do it when they feel it’s the right time. Could this approach hinder his development? It’s too early to tell, and if it works, nobody will question the way the team has handled the “quarterback competition”. For the time being, here are other observations about Day 16 of Jaguars training camp.