While the NFL Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio typically marks the return of on-field football across the country, it’s not typically a star-studded affair with many of the league’s top stars kept on the sideline while coaches instead evaluate younger players and observe position battles.
That will be the case once again this year as the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that star quarterback Trevor Lawrence will not play in Thursday night’s Hall of Fame game against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to NFL.com.
“Trevor’s been getting a lot of great looks here in practice,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said according to NFL.com, “And (we) feel he’s in a good spot.”
With Lawrence’s backup C.J. Beathard still recovering from a groin injury, third-year quarterback Jake Luton will start for Jacksonville on Thursday and will receive the majority of the playing time.
Lawrence won’t be the only young Jaguars star missing from the lineup on Thursday, however, as his former Clemson Tigers teammate, Travis Etienne, will also miss the preseason game against the Raiders due to an illness. Etienne missed the entire 2021 season after a preseason foot injury.
While the stars won’t be on the field on Thursday night, at least the Hall of Fame game does mark the beginning of football season.
[NFL.com]