Jaguars facing crucial roadblock to eventually bring back QB CJ Beathard

The Jacksonville Jaguars reduced their roster to 53 players on time for the cutdown deadline. There were a few surprises but releasing quarterback C.J. Beathard wasn't one of them. After all, the Jags traded for Mac Jones in the offseason and he's a more talented player of the two. That said, the team's brass probably expected to stash Beathard in the practice squad. That won't be possible right now, and they even run the risk of losing the veteran signal-caller to another team for a key reason.

Beathard is currently dealing with a groin injury he sustained in Week 2 of the preseason. He was released via injury settlement, which prevents Jacksonville from signing him to the practice squad in the upcoming weeks.

General manager Trent Baalke told the press corps on cutdown day that the team will have to wait seven weeks to bring him back, which could open the door for other teams to poach him.

"The way that works, when you have a guy that gets injured and you do an injury settlement with them, it's the length of the injury plus three weeks before we can get them back," Baalke responded when asked if they could organize a reunion down the road. "Other teams could make a move earlier than that, but we've got to wait at least seven weeks before that becomes an option for us."

Baalke goes on to say that Beathard's injury is significant, "It's going to keep him away from ball for a while. At least four weeks of the season; could be longer, could be shorter. It depends on how quickly he heals and how the rehab goes, but that's the timeline right now."

A third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, Beathard signed with the Jaguars in 2021. He's been the primary backup behind Trevor Lawrence the past three seasons. The former Iowa Hawkeye hadn't seen much playing time until last year, when he subbed in for No. 16 in a Monday Night Football matchup and later against the Carolina Panthers when he was out with a concussion.

However, the Jaguars felt their quarterback needed upgrades and traded for Jones. A former first-round pick, the Alabama product outperformed Beathard in the offseason and would've won the QB2 job even if the latter hadn't gotten hurt. The only thing that would've changed is that he would've landed in the practice squad.

Releasing CJ Beathard paves the way for the Jaguars to sign EJ Perry to the practice quad

With C.J. Beathard out of the mix, the Jacksonville Jaguars chose to sign quarterback E.J. Perry to their practice squad, making it the third time in as many years. Just before cutdown day, the NFL told clubs that if they wanted to have an emergency quarterback on Game Day, he had to be on the roster and couldn't be promoted from the practice squad.

This didn't affect how the Jags built their roster. They carried two quarterbacks the past two seasons and did it again in 2024. If Trevor Lawrence has to miss time, Mac Jones will be ready to fill in for him. And if No. 16 is unavailable, Jacksonville can sign Perry, or eventually Beathard to the active roster.

Ultimately, the Jaguars would rather keep a player who will contribute on game day than devote a third slot to the quarterback position. If things go as planned, though, Jacksonville won't have to worry about E.J. Perry stepping onto the football field in 2024.

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