Training camp is over and the Jacksonville Jaguars are just about ready for the regular season. The team will play its final preseason game on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, Aug. 23.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said player participation will be around two quarters for the team's starting unit, giving them a true warm-up period before Week 1 of the regular season.
"This third and final preseason game, we usually let the starters play a little bit more and it depends on the circ*mstances and the way the game goes," Pederson said Monday morning before practice.
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"But, you'd love to get maybe two quarters out of them. We do take a look at Atlanta a little bit and we simulate a game week schedule-wise now that camp has broke."
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This week's game against the Falcons will give the Jaguars a better idea of how the team's starters will fare in the regular season. Through weeks of preparation, seeing QB Trevor Lawrence connect with multiple receivers, and have sustained success on offense will validate the work the team has put in this summer.
Lawrence played just nine snaps against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.
This week will also give Jacksonville a chance to see the team's new-look defense with the majority of the team's starters expected to be available.
Jaguars players are no longer staying together in a hotel, heading to work with their own transportation and living at home. This week offers the team a simulation of a true game week with starters getting set to play the most they have thus far in the preseason.
C.J. Beathard, Christian Kirk ruled out for Friday vs. Falcons
Pederson said Monday that both quarterback C.J. Beathard (groin) and WR Christian Kirk (calf) will miss this week's game against the Atlanta Falcons.
"C.J. [Beathard], groin. Re-injured that one. He'll miss this week. Christian [Kirk] will miss again. Still calf. Feeling good, but I'm just going to hold him out this week," Pederson said.
Beathard missed a large portion of the team's offseason program and some weeks into training camp in 2022 dealing with a groin injury. He suffered the latest groin injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday.
Kirk missed most of last week's practices, including the game, after suffering what Pederson described as a "mild calf injury."
Arik Armstead returns to practice, Darnell Savage sheds non-contact jersey
Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead participated in practice Monday in full pads for the first time since being signed earlier this year.
He sported a brace on his right knee but participated in all of the individual drills, sitting out team drills as he continues to work his way back from offseason knee surgery.
Though Armstead's reps in practice are increasing, Pederson said that he "can't speak on the game just yet. But we're going to work some individual stuff, and then progress slowly with him."
Safety Darnell Savage, who has sported a red, non-contact jersey all summer, officially shed the jersey Monday and participated in full-contact drills. Savage signed with the Jaguars with an injury to his shoulder and has been brought along slowly as one of the team's starters on defense.
Savage recorded an interception Monday during team drills.
Jaguars to start roster-cutting process soon, want as much time as possible
Pederson and Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke will begin the process with scouts and the rest of the team's coaching staff to trim the roster to 53 players ahead of the Aug. 27 deadline.
Still, though that is just eight days away, Pederson wants to get as much time as possible with the players they have rather than rushing the process.
"We talk. We have personnel meetings after every ball game and throughout training camp, and we talk about the roster. It's still early to make any kind of decisions," Pederson said.
"I mean, obviously, Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] is the quarterback and Josh [DE Josh Hines-Allen] will be the defensive end. So, we know that much. But after that, it's still evaluation. Still want to get as much time with these guys as we can right up until the last minute.”
The Jaguars have several players that are likely to be picked up by other teams if released. On the flip side, the team will also scour the league waiver wire as well to look for potential improvements to the roster.
Jacksonville's depth has impressed observers this summer and the results in games the last two weeks, albeit in the preseason, are another metric to point to. Some of that success is likely due to the team's onboarding process, a structure that began anew in January with Baalke admitting to the need for change, and Pederson and the team's coaching staff following through.
Demetrius Harvey istheJacksonville Jaguarsreporterfor the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter,at@Demetrius82.
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