Jaguars planning to play starters in preseason game against Panthers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are planning to play starters in their next preseason game, against Carolina on Friday night.

Coach Liam Coen said Monday he expects quarterback Trevor Lawrence and others to get “a couple drives, potentially” against the Panthers. It’s a reversal for Coen, who previously had no intention of putting his first-team offense and defense at risk in any exhibitions.

“You just look at the amount of padded (practices) we actually have left until the game week, and it’s very few and far between,” Coen said. “You set a schedule, and timing and circumstances, things change and you have to pivot a little bit. … I think we need a little bit more padded work against each other, good on good.”

Jacksonville played no starters in its preseason opener at New Orleans on Saturday and rallied to win, 24-20. But a rash of injuries, most notably along the offensive line and at linebacker, prompted Coen to not hold practice in full pads Monday. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens and offensive tackle Chuma Edoga were among those who sat out practice.

The Jaguars have a joint practice (in full pads) scheduled with the Panthers on Wednesday. Coen made it clear that regardless of how things pan out this week, there’s no chance any starters will play in the team’s preseason finale against Tampa Bay on Aug. 28.

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