Jaguars vs. Chiefs: Is Trevor Lawrence playing today in Preseason Week 1?

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence dealt played through several injuries in 2023. Earlier this year, he confided that he wasn't really 100 percent until March. Fortunately for the Jacksonville Jaguars, their franchise signal-caller hasn't had any setbacks and will be a full-go when they face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL Preseason.

While some teams like to sit out their starters, the Jags will have Lawrence suit up in the preseason opener. That said, he will only play one or two series and then pave the way for the second team. Head coach Doug Pederson revealed as much when he spoke to the local media on Day 11 of training camp.

"You know I've usually played the starters, or penciled-in starters a series or two in this first game. Then, get them out, "Pederson said. "From there, we want to look at everybody. And so you have three quarters, maybe three and a half, to get a good look at a lot of the young players and see what you have there."

Pederson continued. "Sometimes, it doesn't work out that way. Maybe guys play more special teams than they do offense, defense. But at the same time, you still want to give everybody a chance to get in this game, and play."

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has also stated that they'll be playing their starters in the opener. At least early on, so the Jags will get to evaluate their players against top-notch competition for at least a series or two.

You could make the case that clubs shouldn't expose their cornerstone players to injuries in "meaningless" games, and there's some merit to that. On the other hand, players need to work on the finer details of their craft, timing, and execution, and the only way to do it is in live situations against other teams.

But how about Trevor Lawrence? Are the Jags going to thrust their $275 million quarterback onto the football field in the preseason opener?

Yes, Trevor Lawrence will play for the Jaguars vs. the Chiefs in Preseason Week 1

Lawrence is excited to take the field. He jokingly said during his media availability session on Day 13 of training camp that anytime he can play without the red jersey (non-contact in practice), he wants to play well and win. During his exchange with the media, the fourth-year quarterback also talked about the work he and his teammates have put in ahead of preseason Week 1.

"It's been a really productive training camp. Part of it is obviously you want to, as a competitor, you want to win every play, win every rep, and have a great day, walk on the field as an offense feeling like you had a good day," Lawrence said. "We've definitely had some of those days, but we've also had days where the defense has punched us in the mouth a little bit and given us some tough looks, some stuff that is going to help us, so I think it's been a really good back and forth."

Lawrence continued, "It's exciting for me knowing the challenge that our defense has presented to us, it gets me excited for the regular season, when we're all on the same team, and knowing that that's the defense other people are going to face. That gets me excited. Offensively, some of the things I know we wanted to work on, whether it's run game, pass game, just staying on schedule, details."

"All these different things. That's generic, but the stuff that I felt like we need to improve on from last year, including myself, I do think we've taken big steps in those areas. Every day has not been perfect, not been clean necessarily, but a lot to learn from. That's what camp's about. And you want that competitive spirit, and you want to go back and forth. And I think the guys have done a really good job of that."

Based on Pederson's comments, Lawrence will be able to showcase the work he's put in, but only for a couple of series at most. This is a solid compromise. He'll get to play but not nearly enough to be exposed. It's also worth noting that the head coach could also pull the quarterback after just a few plays if they feel pleased with what they see.

Moreover, the team's brass will probably be more interested in seeing how C.J. Beathard and Mac Jones fare, so the sooner Lawrence leaves, the better.

This is to say, that Lawrence will play just a handful of snaps. Don't be surprised if you tune in to the game after the first quarter and you see either Beathard or Jones behind center.

More Jaguars analysis here: