Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is happy with the progress his knee has made since it was sprained in Week 6, but isn’t planning on shedding his knee brace quite yet.
“We’ll probably see that a little bit longer,” Lawrence said Wednesday with a Week 8 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers a few days away. “It felt a little uncomfortable just wearing it because you’re not used to it, but it didn’t feel too bad. I don’t think it hindered my ability to move too much, it felt pretty good. It went well and we’ll see it again this week.”
Last week, Lawrence was listed as a limited participant in the Jaguars’ last two practices before he was ruled questionable for a Thursday night game against the New Orleans Saints. After a pregame workout with trainers, the quarterback started the game and finished with 204 passing yards, a touchdowns, and a career-high 59 rushing yards.
On Wednesday, Lawrence was unsurprisingly back on the practice field.
“I’m continuing to progress and head in the right direction,” Lawrence said. “I think it’s getting better every day. With something like this, it’s not overnight so I understand that too. I feel really good, I’m happy with where I’m at and just trying to be smart and keep getting healthy and not take a step back.”
What helped the 24-year-old quarterback avoid a setback last week was a damage-free game against the Saints. Lawrence was hardly pressured and wasn’t hit at all by the New Orleans pass rush. It was a strong performance by the offensive line, but also a game plan that saw the quarterback get rid of the ball at an average of 2.2 seconds, the second quickest of his career.
“We’re going to be aware of that every week, but now that Trevor has the knee [injury] obviously, it’s something that you just don’t want too many hits on the lower body and things of that nature,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said when asked if the team will continue to adjust its plan to protect Lawrence. “As we’ve had time here these last couple of days, Trevor is getting more healthy every single day and he feels good.”
The Steelers are tied for 11th in the NFL in sacks with 19. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt leads the team and is second in the NFL with eight.
