Jaguars vs. Raiders: Trevor Lawrence among players who will not dress

The Jacksonville Jaguars will take on the Las Vegas Raiders tonight in its preseason opener in Canton, Ohio, celebrating the enshrinement of Pride of the Jaguars left tackle Tony Boselli.

Ahead of tonight’s contest on Tuesday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson announced that both quarterback Trevor Lawrence and second-year running back Travis Etienne would be among those that would not dress tonight.

Here is the full allotment of players that won’t suit tonight for Jacksonville:

RB Travis Etienne Jr.
QB C.J. Beathard
WR Zay Jones
WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
WR Marvin Jones Jr.
WR Christian Kirk
QB Trevor Lawrence
TE Evan Engram
CB Darious Williams
RB James Robinson
LB Devin Lloyd
WR Jamal Agnew
OLB Josh Allen
ILB Foyesade Oluokun
G Brandon Scherff
OL Tyler Shatley
OL Cam Robinson
OL Jawaan Taylor
TE Chris Manhertz
DT Malcom Brown
DL Folorunso Fatukasi

The starters on defense will play a couple of series, Pederson said in pregame, while the majority of the team’s offensive starters will not suit up aside from center Luke Fortner and tackle Walker Little. Little has stepped in while four-year veteran tackle Jawaan Taylor nurses a hamstring injury suffered during the first week of training camp.

That means, rookie outside linebacker and first overall pick Travon Walker will get some playing time, his first NFL action after being selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Tonight will be important for young players to get real NFL action for the first time in their playing careers. Still, the veterans that will not dress tonight are still expected to be engaged in the action, helping out their fellow teammates throughout the contest, Pederson said on Tuesday.

“I don’t care if they play a series, and they come out, they’re still going to be engaged and really help the young players and just be another set of eyes for them,” he said.

“I’ve been there, as a young quarterback in this league, and you want a veteran guy that when you come off the field can kind of show you some of the things that are going on. I want our guys to do that, and because they stay engaged as well, mentally.”

Tonight’s game will consist of more than just good in-game action for the players, however. The new coaching staff in Jacksonville will get their first opportunity to test themselves as they head into the season.

“It’s one thing with me, especially on offense, and being a play caller, and doing all that, there’s got to be some great organization and great communication,” he said.

“The guys have to be in the right spot. Guys have game day responsibilities, where their eyes are, and making sure we have all the right information between series and halftime and all of that. These are just as important to us as a staff too. It’s been a while since we’ve all done it, for me, especially.”

This will be Pederson’s first in-game coaching moment since being let go by the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the 2020 regular season. His last game was a loss against the Washington Commanders, 20-14 on Jan. 4, 2021.

This will also be the first chance for defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell to call a defense after spending the majority of his career as a linebackers coach.

The Jaguars will kickoff against the Raiders at 8:00 p.m. ET. on NBC, streaming on Peacock.