The Jacksonville Jaguars opened their preseason on a high note, defeating the New Orleans Saints 24-20 Saturday afternoon at Caesars Superdome. Best of all, they did it without any of their starters. But with the regular season just under a month away and only two preseason games remaining, the question has become: when will franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence take the field with the rest of the first-team offense?
Head coach Liam Coen addressed that question on Monday, telling reporters that Lawrence and the rest of the Jaguars' starters are "trending towards" playing in the team's next preseason matchup, Friday night against the Carolina Panthers in Jacksonville. "I think that's the goal right now, is to look at potentially playing him [Lawrence] a little Friday night," Coen said. "I think we need a little bit more work in terms of coming off of the Saints joint [practice] and the Saints game.
I think we just need a little bit more padded work against each other, good on good. Can't really do it today. We had to pivot a little bit, so would like to maybe see these guys Friday night go out there and get a couple drives potentially." More news: Falcons Get Michael Penix Jr Update as Tua Tagovailoa’s Debut Raises Questions More news: Jets Rookie Suffers Brutal Setback After Strong Preseason Debut Lawrence is coming off arguably the best season of his NFL career, throwing for 4,007 yards and a career-high 29 touchdowns, to go with 359 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, also both career highs.
More importantly, he appeared in all 17 games for the first time in three years and led the Jaguars to the playoffs and a 13-4 record — the franchise's highest win total since 1999. Even with longtime teammate Travis Etienne Jr. no longer on the roster, expectations remain largely the same for 2026. Lawrence has his full receiving corps back, a committee of explosive young running backs, and one of the best defenses in football.
If he can sustain last year's level of play, the Jaguars could clinch their second straight AFC South title — something the franchise has never done before. More news: Giants Move Fast on New QB After Brandon Allen’s Rough Preseason Opener
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