Jaguars shouldn’t rush Trevor Lawrence into action following injury

One silver lining from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss to the Detroit Lions was that Trevor Lawrence was able to get back into the football field following a lower-leg injury he suffered on the last play of the second quarter. Moving forward, the Jags should err on the side of caution and avoid rushing him back into action if he’s not 100 percent.

Head coach Doug Pederson told the local media Monday that Lawrence hurt his foot and toe area and not the knee.

“It’s truly not the knee”, Pederson said. “It’s actually the foot in the toe area and he was checked out today. He’s good there, no issues. Obviously sore from the hit but we’re still getting some more testing done on his foot and toe area”.

Pederson goes on to say that Lawrence will need to get more tests done before the team can assess his future availability.

Things are trending in the right direction but I won’t have a definite until I get the report later today on his foot and everything, Pederson said.

On a side note, Pederson also provided updates for linebacker Chad Muma and safety Andre Cisco, who will be day-to-day with ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively.

Lawrence wasn’t great but wasn’t bad against the Lions either, going 17-of-31 for 179 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Mainly, he avoided making the kind of head-scratching mistakes he made early in the season. Although he failed to crack the 200-mark, he didn’t get much help from his supporting cast or the defense. Here’s Pederson’s whole exchange with the media.

The Jaguars must sit Trevor Lawrence if they need to

Lawrence deserves praise for getting back into the field even though the game was pretty much out of reach by the third quarter. Rightfully, the coaching staff eventually pulled him when it was clear the Jaguars weren’t going to win.

Even though Lawrence gives the Jags the best chance to finish the 2022 season strong, they should consider sitting him if he isn’t ready to go. What’s the point to expose him to further injury and running the risk of losing him for a significant amount of time?

Of course, Lawrence should play if he’s healthy enough but the Jaguars were a long shot to make the postseason even before he got hurt and might not have much left to play for in 2022. It simply doesn’t make the case to risk his availability next year just to have a shot at racking up a few more wins this season.

Lawrence has had a productive sophomore campaign and is slowly proving he’s the Jaguars’ long-term answer at quarterback. That’s why they need to protect him, even if that means keeping him out of the football field for a few games.