Jaguars’ Doug Pederson Says No Competition at Backup QB: ‘C.J. Is No. 2′

C.j. Beathard has long been thought to be the backup quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars going into this season. Since Trevor Lawrence arrived, Beathard has been right there beside him -- or rather behind him.

The team and front office know exactly what they are getting with Beathard, a reliable quarterback who can fill in for Lawrence in a pinch and be a great mentor as well. While the 29-year old quarterback may never develop into a future starter, it’s his poise and approach to the game that gives the Jaguars’ staff confidence if Lawrence were to go down.

After the 25-7 win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson spoke highly of his backup quarterback, “I like the way C.J. operates, I like the way his mental capacity is, the way he thinks, he sees the field extremely well and he’s tough. You saw some of the athleticism today, the movement skills and stuff with him. He throws a really good football, and he played well today, he led us into a couple of field goal drives there. He does a nice job for us.”

Thus far into the preseason, Beathard has gotten the most attempts of the team’s three quarterbacks, completing 18 of 33 passes for 218 yards with one TD and one INT. Saturday against the Lions, he got the start as Pederson held the starters out due to the fear of injury.

While Beathard might be doing ‘a nice job’ for the Jaguars, it’s Nathan Rourke who has really stolen the show after the first two preseason games.

In his first two NFL appearances, the NFL rookie Rourke has caught fire. The Canadian from Ohio University has completed 19 of 29 for 274 yards, including that instantly infamous touchdown to Qadree Ollison. He’s done some nice things as well with his legs, rushing for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Pederson spoke highly of Rourke, “I just like his poise, his poise in the pocket. Accurate passer, I’m sure there’s some throws he wants back, but for the most part he’s an accurate thrower. He made a heck of a throw, a couple of back shoulder throws on the sideline, a slant throw on a third down, and the toughness aspect of it. He’s not afraid to pull the ball down and run. Those are all things that I appreciate about him and the effort and leadership that he provides.”

Statistically, Rourke has outperformed Beathard and most every other NFL quarterback this preseason. It’s been a strong set of two games for the CFL’s 2022 Most Outstanding Canadian, who has already made more than one highlight-worthy play, reminiscent of Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel at times.

However, it doesn’t seem Beathard is in any real danger of losing his backup job. When asked about competition at backup quarterback, Pederson dismissed the possibility.

“No, no. I thought Nathan [QB Nathan Rourke] did well again today, a couple of touchdown drives there and he’s done a nice job. He’s done exactly what we ask him to do. C.J. [QB C.J. Beathard] is our number two and Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] is number one,” said Pederson.

While fans might be smitten with the new rookie quarterback, it doesn't seem his level of play has yet moved the needle far enough to threaten Beathard's job. That said, his level of play might be enough to secure himself a roster spot as the third-string quarterback or at the very least, a place on the practice squad.