Pederson Rules Jordan Smith Out for the Year, Provides Update on CJ Beathard

The Jacksonville Jaguars saw two players leave the practice field with injuries earlier this week with quarterback CJ Beathard and outside linebacker Jordan Smith. On Thursday, head coach Doug Pederson provided updates on both.

“Jordan Smith. As of right now, obviously it’s a knee injury. I believe surgery’s scheduled here in the next couple of weeks on him and obviously he’ll miss the season," Pederson said. 

"C.J. [Beathard] is a little bit better, a bit better news on C.J. Again, [it’s an injury in the] lower body, groin area and he should be okay for training camp. We’ll just wait and see as it progresses over the summer.”

The Jaguars traded up to pick No. 121 to select Smith in the fourth-round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He played in two games as a rookie, recording one tackle.

Smith is a former four-star recruit who originally joined the Florida Gators but spent the last two of his college career years at UAB, during which time he posted 14.5 sacks and 27 tackles for loss. Smith also played at Butler Community College (Kansas) where he recorded 77 tackles, 22.5 for loss, and 11 sacks.

Smith was the first player the Jaguars' new regime targeted in a draft day trade. With the Los Angeles Rams sitting at No. 121, general manager Trent Baalke and the Jaguars offered up picks 130, 170, and 249 to move up nine spots while also getting pick No. 209 from the Rams in return. 

Drafted by San Francisco in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Beathard started 12 games for the 49ers during his tenure. Beathard went 2-10 as a starter during that period. He ended his 49ers tenure with 18 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 58.6% completion rate, and 7.0 yards per attempt.

Beathard threw just two passes in 2021, completing both for a total of 30 yards when Trevor Lawrence briefly left Week 9 with an injury. Beathard has been set up this year to be Lawrence's No. 2 backup entering the offseason; behind Beathard, the Jaguars have third-year quarterback and former sixth-round pick Jake Luton and undrafted free agent quarterback EJ Perry.

“The one thing with C.J., he’s played games, he’s started games in this league, and I think that’s valuable. C.J. has the mentality and I think he has the right mentality right now as a backup quarterback where there’s not that threat to Trevor," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said in May. "It’s not like he’s out there making an agenda for C.J. He’s a team player and he’s on board. You see it out on the grass, or you see it in the classroom where those two are having really good dialogue back and forth and open communication, and that’s really what it takes.

"I think about my days in Green Bay with [former Packers QB] Brett [Favre]. Not that I was going to threaten Brett’s job, but just having the communication of another set of eyes for the starter, that’s what you have to have. It was Nick Foles with Carson Wentz a few years back [in Philadelphia]. I think those combinations are really good for the starter and it kind of calms the starter down a little bit where Trevor can just focus on his job knowing he has the support of the backup.”