Jacksonville Jaguars dodge a bullet with QB CJ Beathard’s injury

Backup C.J. Beathard went down with a groin injury in a recent Organized Team Activity session. And it would be a blow for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ depth at quarterback if he were to miss any time.  However, that doesn’t look like that will be the case based on head coach Doug Pederson’s recent comments.

Pederson met with the local media Thursday and gave an update on Beathard’s injury, which doesn’t seem to be so serious. On the other hand, defensive end Jordan Smith wasn’t as fortunate. The Jaguars’ head coach said that the sophomore will undergo knee surgery and will miss the 2022 NFL season.

"Jordan Smith as of right now… obviously is in the injury. I believe surgery is scheduled here in the next couple of weeks for him and will miss the season. C.J is a little bit better … Again, lower body groin area. And he should be okay for training camp and we’ll just wait and see it as it progresses over the summer."

This surely is frustrating for Smith, a fourth-round selection in last year’s draft, who hardly played during his rookie season. The former UAB Blazer will now have to wait until 2023 to make a case for a roster spot. On the other hand, it’s good news that Beathard won’t miss an extended period of time. Were he to miss an extended period of time, Jake Luton or undrafted rookie EJ Perry would become the No. 2 quarterback by default and neither one might be ready to handle starting duties f called upon.

The fact that the quarterback market is not particularly enticing would make this a dire situation for the Jaguars. Sure, there are a few options but none arguably better than Beathard. Here are Pederson’s comments regarding Smith’s and Bethard’s respective injuries around the two-minute mark.

The Jaguars have a solid QB room ahead of the 2022 season

Trevor Lawrence is firmly entrenched as the team’s starting quarterback but that doesn’t make Beathard’s injury any less serious. After all, backups are just one injury away from starting, and in a collision sport such as football, the chances of having your second-string quarterback are always high. That’s why when the times come, you want to have a good one on the depth chart.

Think of a backup quarterback in the NFL as car insurance. You can drive without one but in case of an accident, you want to be prepared and have the best one possible. And in the NFL, a good backup quarterback can be the difference between keeping your team afloat and throwing your season out of the window.

The silver lining is that Beathard can step on the football field at any time if ready, so he won’t need a robust amount of reps in training camp. Instead, those can go to Luton and Perry, who need as many as they can.

The Jaguars’ quarterback situation isn’t great but it’s surely solid. Optimally speaking, you want Trevor Lawrence to play every single snap this upcoming season but if necessary, Beathard would be able to take his place once he comes back from the groin injury.