CJ Beathard's injury vs. Bucs opens door for Mac Jones to seize Jaguars QB backup job

The Jacksonville Jaguars are holding a competition between C.J. Beathard and Mac Jones for the backup job behind Trevor Lawrence. The battle could be over after the 20-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL Preseason.

The team announced that Lawrence wasn't going to suit up for the bout against the Bucs. Head coach Doug Pederson said that he wanted to see Beathard and Jones each play a half but declined to name either one the starter. It wasn't until a couple hours before the game that he told Jaguars reporter Kainani Stevens that Jones would be getting the nod.

Jones got off to a slow start, going 2-of-4 for 13 yards in Jacksonville's opening drive. However, he got hot and led a 17-play, 80-yard drive that ended on a 25-yard reception to sophomore wide receiver Parker Washington. He left the game at halftime but returned when Beathard suffered a groin injury later in the game.

When Jones got back into the game, it looked like the coaching staff was going to have him hand the ball. Instead, he took a couple of shots downfield. One of them was a 31-yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Brevin Easton.

Jones completed 16 of 23 passes for 210 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Meanwhile, Beathard went 5-of-7 for 40 yards in limited action.

A first-round pick in 2021, Jones joined the Jags via trade in the offseason after spending the last three years with the New England Patriots. He made the Pro Bowl and made the playoffs as a rookie but was benched on several occasions the past two seasons.

Beathard, on the other hand, was a third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. He signed with Jacksonville in 2021 and has been their primary backup at the position the past three years.

What Doug Pederson says about Mac Jones and CJ Beathard

Based on draft pedigree and how he's played in the preseason, Mac Jones should be the frontrunner to win the backup job. Following the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Doug Pederson told the local media that he was pleased with the Alabama product's performance.

"We knew with two quarterbacks that once Mack was done, he had to stay ready the second half. That's always a given. But I thought overall, Mac played a solid football game," Pederson told the media after the game. "He was obviously into it. You saw his intensity out there. He made some great throws, led the team like we expected."

Pederson continued, "For him to come back off the bench late in the game to throw that touchdown pass to Brevin. He loves playing. He loves playing the game, and he did some great things tonight and helped us win this game."

Regarding Beathard, Pedersons says that he hadn't talked to the training staff yet and didn't know the severity but confirmed that it was a groin injury.

Pederson went on to say that he wasn't sure if Beathard would've been back in the game if the injury had been during the regular season.

Maybe Beathard's injury isn't serious, but every rep he misses is a chance for Mac Jones to pull ahead in the competition. If he hasn't seized the job yet, his play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the injury to Beathard, should be enough for him to come out on top.

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