Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was officially limited in his return to practice after suffering a high-ankle sprain during Monday night’s loss to the Bengals.
Multiple reporters at the team’s session noted that the quarterback was participating in the portion of the session open to media. But Lawrence was not a part of every drill.
The No. 1 pick of the 2021 draft, Lawrence has not missed a game since the Jaguars brought selected him.
Each of the team’s top two quarterbacks is dealing with an injury, as backup C.J. Beathard was limited again with a left shoulder injury. Left tackle Walker Little (hamstring) remained out of practice.
Cornerback Christian Braswell (hamstring) was added to the injury report as a limited participant.
Running back Travis Etienne (ribs), cornerback Tyson Campbell (quad), safety Andre Cisco (shoulder), defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi (heel), running back D’Ernest Johnson (knee), and receiver Zay Jones (knee) were limited.
Cornerback Tre Herndon (concussion), receiver Christian Kirk (groin), and tight end Brenton Strange (foot) remained out of practice.
Commissioner Roger Goodell was in Jacksonville on Monday for the Bengals-Jaguars game. He also visited with key Jacksonville politicians whose fingers are on or close to the pursestrings for the public portion of a $2 billion stadium renovation.
Via David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union, Goodell met with Jacksonville mayor Donna Deegan and Jacksonville city council president Ron Salem.
Phillip Perry, the mayor’s spokesman, said it was a chance for Goodell, Deegan, and Salem to “get to know each other better.”
“They both expressed their desire to get to ‘yes’ on a deal that is good for Jacksonville and the Jaguars but did not discuss any specifics in relation to negotiations,” Perry said.
Salem explained that he communicated to Goodell and the Jaguars that “the council needs 60 days to put this through a normal process.”
“This is too important to do anything less than the regular six-week cycle plus some extra time to help educate the public and maybe some [community] huddles as they did before,” Salem said.
Deegan seems supportive of the injection of $1 billion or so in taxpayer money for the renovation project, regardless of whether the public at large would support such an expenditure if it were on a ballot. (In most cities, the electorate would not approve the use of taxpayer funding for sports venues.) Salem might be supportive as well, but his comments suggest that he’s committed to conducting a fair and proper process.
The Jaguars want to have a deal in place by the second quarter of 2024, so construction can begin in early 2026 and finished in time for the 2028 season.
Obviously, failure to do what the Jaguars want will risk relocation by the team to a community that will. It has happened repeatedly during the NFL’s century of existence. The threat is so clear that it no longer needs to be made.
Another day, another limited practice for Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
The rookie is recovering from the concussion that kept him from playing in Week 13 and he returned to practice on Wednesday. He is listed as limited again on Thursday, which means he still has some way to go before he will clear the concussion protocol.
Joe Flacco will start for the second straight week if Thompson-Robinson is not cleared and the Browns have not said what they’ll do against the Jaguars with both quarterbacks available.
While Thompson-Robinson got the same listing, six Browns saw an upgrade in their workload Tuesday. Defensive end Myles Garrett (rest, shoulder) went from not practicing to full participation while defensive lineman Shelby Harris (Achilles) went from limited to full.
Guard Joel Bitonio (rest, knee), running back Kareem Hunt (groin), defensive lineman Maurice Hurst (groin), and safety Juan Thornhill (calf) were limited after sitting out Wednesday. Wide receiver Amari Cooper (concussion, ribs) and tight end David Njoku (rest, knee) remained out of practice.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is back on the practice field Thursday.
Lawrence did not practice at all on Wednesday because of the high-ankle sprain he suffered against the Bengals on Monday night, but he was in a helmet and on the field with his teammates as they continued their preparations for Sunday’s game in Cleveland.
Videos from the Jaguars and reporters at the open portion of practice showed Lawrence throwing the ball and simulating dropbacks. Reporters noted that he was not taking part in all of the team’s drills, however.
Lawrence will likely be tagged as limited on the team’s Thursday injury report. Friday will bring an official injury designation for the weekend and that will provide a better hint about the likelihood that he’ll be under center in Cleveland.
Rookie cornerback Christian Braswell is on his way back to the Jaguars lineup.
Braswell has been designated for return from injured reserve, which means he can return to practice with the team and that he can be activated at any point in the next 21 days. He cannot be activated if he does not get back on the 53-man roster by that point.
The Jags drafted Braswell in the sixth round this spring. He appeared in three games before injuring his hamstring and going on injured reserve in mid-October.
Braswell played nine special teams snaps and saw no time on defense in those appearances.
