Jaguars confident in QB CJ Beathard if he starts vs. Titans in Week 14

Trevor Lawrence suffered a toe injury against the Detroit Lions and may not be able to suit up against the Tennessee Titans. If he isn’t good to go, the Jacksonville Jaguars will then roll with backup C.J. Beathard.

This would be Beathard’s first start in Jaguars uniform but both coaches and players think that he would do a good job. Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor told the local media Wednesday that Beathard has a good grasp of the offense and wouldn’t dial back the playbook despite his and Lawrence’s physical skillsets being different.

“I’d say there’s not anything he cannot do”, Tayor said. “And part of it is he’s been around all season, long since the day we put the offense in. We always try to tailor to the strengths of our players, so that may be something if we made that decision”.

Taylor went on to say that Beathard has fully recovered from the groin injury he suffered in the offseason. Wide receiver Christian Kirk also trusts the Jaguars’ backup quarterback to do a good job if called upon.

“We’ve got a lot of belief in C.J.”, Kirk said during the team’s locker room media availability. “I personally played against TJ before and he came in and ruined our day for us. He had a great game himself, so I’ve seen it firsthand, what he can do. Guys in this locker room have a lot of respect for him and a lot of confidence, so we don’t expect to miss a beat, just pick up where we left off”.

The game Kirk is most likely referring to was in Week 16 of the 2020 season, when the San Franciso 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 2-20, with Beathard completing 59 percent of his passes or 182 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Can C.J. Beathard keep the Jaguars afloat in Trevor Lawrence’s absence?

Trevor Lawrence says he plans to play against the Titans but if he isn’t good to go, Beathard would be making his first start for the Jaguars since signing as a free agent last year. Over the last two seasons, he’s only attempted five passes but that doesn’t mean Jacksonville won’t stand a chance against the Titans.

Beathard is 2-10 but doesn’t have to be perfect to give the Jags a chance to be. As long as he avoids making head-scratching mistakes and gets the ball to the playmakers on offense, Jacksonville could have a shot.

O course, the Titans won’t make it any easy and won’t shed a tear if Lawrence doesn’t play. Their defensive front has done a good job of generating pressure up front and stopping the run. Similarly, their secondary, led by safety Kevin Byard could give whoever starts at quarterback for the Jaguars fits.

In the end, it’s not a sure thing Beathard will start and it could turn out to be a game-time decision. Either way, his coaches and teammates think he will be just fine.