Meyer Still Publicly Noncommittal on Jaguars' Starting QB For Preseason and Beyond

Meyer and his staff continue to play coy with the idea that they don't yet know who their starting quarterback is -- whether for Saturday's preseason game or for Week 1 against Houston on Sept. 12.

Trevor Lawrence is going to start a lot of football games for the Jacksonville Jaguars -- it just isn't clear when that first one will come.

With the Jaguars set to host the Cleveland Browns in the preseason opener at TIAA Bank Field on Saturday, head coach Urban Meyer and his offensive brain trust are still sorting out who will take that first snap as Lawrence and Gardner Minshew II rotate days taking reps with the first-team offense in practice during training camp.

“We’ll finalize that tonight. I asked [Passing Game Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer] Schotty and [Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell] Bev, but they’ll both play," Meyer told media ahead of Thursday's practice, the final practice before the Jaguars begin the preseason. 

"A lot of it’s who’s going to be behind. We just want to make sure we have protected both those quarterbacks, but both will play.”

Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft, has shined throughout training camp, but the Jaguars have still given Minshew meaningful reps with the first-team offense. More importantly, those reps have come behind the first-team offensive line.

That is the balance Meyer will have to try to find as he navigates his first preseason game as a coach. While it will also be a massive adjustment for Lawrence as he plays his first game at the NFL level, it will be just as big of an adjustment for the coach who will have to soon determine when Lawrence will be named the starter.

“I’m going to really rely on Bev and Schotty. This whole preseason is fairly new to me, you know? Not fairly new, really new. In college, there’s no preseason. You’re winner-loser right away, so I’m going to listen as much as I can," Meyer said.

"They both have a lot of experience with young quarterbacks and that’s why I hired them. They’ve been not [just] good, they’ve been great helping me navigate those questions.”

And for Meyer, the seemingly open competition between Lawrence and Minshew, a third-year veteran, extends past the preseason. Minshew and Lawrence have alternated days in which they get starters reps for all of camp. Could that continue into the regular season as the Jaguars draw closer to the Sept. 12 opener in Houston?

While the odds of there being a true open competition are immensely low, Meyer replied "yes" when asked on Thursday if that is what this was. 

“Is there really a chance? I think we’ll answer that as we get closer," Meyer said when asked if there is a chance Lawrence doesn't start in Week 1. 

As of today, Meyer has yet to name either Minshew or Lawrence as his team's quarterback. Not for Saturday, not for next week, and certainly not for Week 1. That will change soon and the odds are in Lawrence's favor to be named the signal-caller once Meyer and his staff end the rotation and, in some ways, charade. 

For Lawrence, that doesn't mean much. He is going to prepare the same way he has all offseason and training camp, all while bidding his time to get his first official start, which is inevitable.

“Yeah, it’s competing, but also, at the end of the day, we’re all on the same team. So, I’m going to do everything I can to be the best guy for the job and to win games," Lawrence said on Thursday. "But at the end of the day, that’s not in my hands, the decisions. I trust the coaches, we’re all on the same team and we’re just trying to win. So, my mindset is just to win games, to be the best prepared as I can be. And as we’re kind of transitioning out of camp now, it’s really taking care of my body, getting in a good routine that can sustain me through the season."