Jacksonville Jaguars making surprising quarterback announcement for preseason game against Buccaneers

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson made a somewhat surprising announcement about who was playing quarterback in the second preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, August 17.

Pederson said Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard would split the reps 50/50 but did not elaborate on who would be the starter. Trevor Lawrence will not play in the game.

Lawrence played a series in the first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He completed three of four passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. Some expected Lawrence to play a series or more in the Buccaneers game, but Pederson decided to go with the reserves to protect Lawrence's health. Lawrence has been getting plenty of reps in joint practice with the Bucs this week.

It is the age-old debate of whether starters should play in the preseason.  The games do not count toward the final results, and the risk of injury usually outweighs the desire to play stars for game reps before the season begins. Head coaches and teams have different approaches; the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs played Patrick Mahomes and other starters last weekend against the Jaguars.