Jaguars beat Lions in Preseason Week 2: WR competition heating up, other takeaways

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of Week 2 of the 2023 preseason was whether they would play their starters and how much time they would remain on the field. The Detroit Lions made up their mind a few days ago and just before the game started, the Jags announced that they would also sit their starters.

Teams often give the starters lots of playing time in Week 2 of the preseason and rest them in the finale. This approach makes sense when you take into account that players need to shake off the rust but clubs want to also minimize the risk of injury. The Jaguars might have seen enough from their starters on the days preceding the game to instead open the dance floor with the backups.

This decision gave several players the opportunity to make an impression before Jacksonville trims down the roster in a couple weeks. On the other hand, others failed to take advantage of the opportunities they were given. With that in mind, here are three takeaways from the Jaguars' 25-7 win over the Lions in Week 2 of the preseason.

Jaguars CJ Beathard hasn't had a good preseason

Preseason doesn't matter, right? At least when it comes to the win/loss column, it doesn't. That said, players still need to show up and give their best effort. That hasn't been the case with quarterback C.J. Beathard, who's been underwhelming. Against the Cowboys, he went 6-of-13 for 80 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Although that's not necessarily a cause for concern, Beathard wasn't much better against the Lions, completing 60 percent of his passes for 138 yards with one touchdown and one interception. This doesn't mean he'll tumble down the depth chart or that Nathan Rourke will get ahead of him, but it doesn't bode well for him.

In fact, head coach Doug Pederson shut down the notion there's a battle for the QB2 job when he met with the local media after the game.

Jaguars LT Cam Robinson hasn't looked sharp in the preseason

Left tackle Cam Robinson is scheduled to sit out the first four games of the 2023 season while he serves a suspension for violations to the Performance-enhancing drug policy. He's allowed to practice and suit up for the preseason though and he got first-team reps against the Lions. It didn't go great.

Robinson looked underwhelming when he was on the field. Early in the first quarter, he was responsible for a holding penalty that negated a 13-yard scramble by C.J. Beathard that would have given the Jasg a fresh set of downs. Now, it wouldn't have been an issue if he had been solid the rest of the game but he wasn't. It didn't help that fellow offensive tackle Walker Little played several snaps at left guard and fared well.

It's unknown what the Jaguars plan to do once Robinson is stated. It's possible that they themselves don't know but if Walker Little, who will start at left tackle during his absence, shines, it will be hard to justify plugging him back into the lineup.

Having two starting-caliber left tackles is a luxury that not many teams have. The Jaguars do and that could make them feel inclined to ship Robinson to a team in need of help at the position before this year's deadline. The fact that the suspension voided left on the three-year, $54 million deal he signed last year, could make him an enticing trade candidate.

Whatever course of action the Jags take, Robinson didn't help his case against the Lions.

The Jaguars will have to make some choices at receiver for the 2023 season

Both the Lions' and the Jaguars' offenses were underwhelming early in the game. It wasn't until wide receiver Parker Washington caught a 15-yard touchdown pass that things started to heat up. Before that, the biggest offensive highlight — at least coming from Jacksonville — was a 48-yard touchdown reception by Tim Jones.

Entering the third quarter, the Jags were leading 13-0. That's when the rest of their wide receiver corps started to make noise. Jacob Harris, who came up with a huge play the previous week, reeled in a 23-yard catch while Elijah Cooks had two receptions for 69 yards. Also, Seth Williams hauled in three receptions for 36 catches against Detroit.

Right now, Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Jamal Agnew are locks to make the team. Thus, those receivers competing for a roster spot will have a last chance to shine. Even the ones who have failed to show out (Kevin Austin) will have one last opportunity to make the case.

At 6'5", the undrafted Elijah Cooks would give the Jags a huge red-zone target while Parker Washington's ability to churn out yards after the catch would give the offense a boost. However, they both face tough competition from Seth Williams and Jacob Harris, both of whom shined in training camp and have had a productive preseason.

Tim Jones, who made the 53-man roster is also in the mix and won't give up without a fight. It will be interesting to see who the Jaguars end up keeping but it looks like the battle for those last two (probably) spots on the depth chart will come to the wire.

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