The Jacksonville Jaguars made it official Wednesday, anointing 2021 No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence as their starting quarterback for the season opener.
The Jaguars open their season at the Houston Texans on Sept. 12.
Jaguars coach Urban Meyer said Lawrence also will start the team’s third and final preseason game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
The decision was expected, but Meyer maintained even two weeks ago that the quarterback competition was open between Lawrence and Gardner Minshew II. The pair split first-team reps throughout training camp.
“We wanted him to earn it, as we do with every position,” Meyer said. “We felt he has, after (Monday) night’s performance was — it was good, obviously not great. We didn’t run the ball very well. I kind of in my mind had that after the second preseason (game0 that we kind of have to get someone ready to play in three weeks.”
Minshew went 7-13 as the Jaguars’ starter over the past two seasons, completing 62.9 percent of his throws for 5,530 yards with 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during that span.
“Minsh (Minshew) has been awesome, treating me really well. We’ve had a lot of conversations,” Lawrence said. “He’s been a guy that I’ve been able to learn from, and C.J. (Beathard) and Jake (Luton), all those guys, we’re all in it together. You know, we’re all on the same team and, at the end of the day, I think that’s the most important thing.”
Lawrence, 21, was the top selection in the 2021 NFL Draft after completing 66.6 percent of his passes for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in three seasons at Clemson. The 6-foot-6 quarterback also ran for 943 yards and 18 TDs.
The news comes a day after the Jaguars announced that their other first-round pick, running back Travis Etienne, will miss the entire season with a Lisfranc injury.