JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially named Trevor Lawrence as starter against the Houston Texans in Week 1, announced Urban Meyer in a news conference Wednesday.
The back-up job reportedly remains open as Gardner Minshew and C.J. Beathard continue to duke it out for the role.
“My respect for Gardner as a warrior is well documented… CJ came in two weeks in a row and played well,” said Meyer.
The Jaguars selected Lawrence with the first overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Lawrence played in 40 games with 36 starts at Clemson from 2018-20.
His 34-2 (.944) record as a starter is the third-best winning percentage by a starting quarterback with at least 30 career starts in college football history since 1978. He finished his career undefeated as a starter in regular-season play and did not lose a regular-season game at either the high school or collegiate levels.
RECAP: Jaguars vs. Saints
In his Jaguars' debut, Trevor Lawrence showed flashes in his 15-snap, 6-of-9 performance against the Browns. His offensive line gave him time. He was able to showcase his cannon of an arm.
Despite playing the entire first half, Lawrence didn't experience nearly as much success in his second, NFL game.
The Saints (1-1) pounced on the Jaguars (0-2) from the jump, capitalizing on two, first quarter Jameis Winston touchdown passes en route to a 23-21 win. The Jaguars reserves did mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, led by C.J. Beathard's two touchdowns. With that loss, Lawrence and Urban Meyer are still searching for their first wins in the NFL. The Jaguars have not won a game since Week One of the 2021 season.
With three of his five starting offensive linemen held out of Monday's contest, Lawrence was forced to play "backyard football" for much of the game. He finished 14-of-23 for 113 yards with a sack and added one, nine-yard third-down run. Despite some early miscommunication, he was able to connect with Marvin Jones Jr. (4 catches, 41 yards) and Laviska Shenault Jr. (5 catches, 36 yards).
Starting center Brandon Linder and starting left guard Andrew Norwell were held out with injuries, as expected. Left tackle Cam Robinson was also mysteriously held out of Monday's game. Tyler Shatley, Ben Bartch, and Walker Little all started for Jacksonville.