Jacksonville Jaguars backup QB C.J. Beathard carted off field after injury

Jacksonville Jaguars backup quarterback C.J. Beathard had to be carted off the field from an undisclosed injury after rolling out to make a pass during red-zone work in the rain during Monday's organized team activity practice at TIAA Bank Field.

The Jaguars have not provided an update on Beathard's injury or the severity, but he remained down for several minutes before he was carted off. He reportedly suffered a groin injury.

It was one of the more challenging offseason days for Coach Doug Pederson because second-year defensive end/outside linebacker Jordan Smith also went down to what appeared to be a right knee injury. Smith remained down for several minutes but got up and was helped to the locker room.

Beathard has been working with the No. 2 offensive unit throughout the OTA workouts ahead of Jake Luton and undrafted rookie E.J. Perry.

Smith, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft,  played in only two games last season  and registered one tackle. He had been making a push in the offseason program in getting more snaps in the rotation.

“C.J. [Beathard], that’s my guy so I hope he’s alright, so just praying about that. Same thing with Jordan [Smith], [he] went down a little earlier,'' quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. ''He got up a little quicker so I’m hoping both of them are good and [it’s] just a minor setback. Just thoughts and prayers for them.”

Lawrence said he was unsure if someone bumped into him or he just went the wrong way. On the play, Beathard rolled toward his right before throwing a pass in the end zone that was intercepted.

''I don’t really know, but like I said, just hoping he’s alright and we’ll go back and look at it on film,'' Lawrence said. ''Maybe we’ll be able to tell a little bit more, but I didn’t see what happened.”

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Taylor still working with No. 1 offense

Jawaan Taylor worked with the first-team offense at right tackle, but he also got reps at left tackle for the second consecutive week, including Walker Little. Cam Robinson participated in Monday's practice after missing last week's OTA opened to the media because of travel issues. Once training camp begins next month, Taylor and Little is expected to compete for the starting the right tackle job. The Jaguars' first-team offensive line Monday was

Ben Bartch at left guard, Tyler Shatley at center, right guard Brandon Scherff with Robinson at left tackle and Taylor at right tackle.

Interception time

Cornerback Shaq Griffin snagged an interception in 11-on-11 work on an underthrown pass from quarterback Trevor Lawrence intended for wide receiver Christian Kirk. On the play, Griffin raced across the field to catch the ball before going out of bounds.

Griffin dropped several near interceptions last season before going the entire season without a takeaway. He has vowed to do better this season.

Good attendance

Coach Doug Pederson has praised the attendance for the voluntary OTAs that end this week before the mandatory minicamp begins on June 13-15 that will close out the offseason program before the team is scheduled to report for training camp next month.

''We've had great attendance as you know and it's just sort of keeping that momentum as we wind down here,'' Pederson said. ''The next phase (training camp) is the pads and the physicality and how I handle the transition to training camp. But I think this offseason was a success from the standpoint of having the number of guys here and the excitement and enthusiasm that's in the building, the team is in a good place.

Mentoring Walker

Outside linebacker Josh Allen was seen during the early portion of Monday's practice working directly with No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker. Allen showed Walker various hand techniques to get off blocks to get after the quarterback. Walker worked with the No. 1 defensive exclusively at outside linebacker for the second consecutive week.

Allen, meanwhile, attended Von Miller's annual Pass Rush Summit this past Saturday in Las Vegas. Asked what the key for Allen to be a more consistent performer, Pederson said that's it. ''Just be consistent, be who he is, don't try to do anything other than Josh and let his talent speak for itself.''

On Friday, Allen surprised players and coaches from the 13U Duval Jags football team with Adidas gear, including cleats, shorts, shirts and gym bags. The youth team watched the end of the Jaguars' OTA practice meeting with the Allen.

Etienne looks impressive

Running back Travis Etienne continues to look impressive with his runs out of the backfield and ability to get open on pass plays. He's shown cutting ability and elusiveness in the open field. Etienne is fully recovered from a Lisfranc injury to his left foot that forced him to miss the entire regular season in 2021.

''Obviously last year, [we] didn’t get to do much of that besides the first two preseason games, so it’s really nice having him back there,'' Lawrence said. ''Just like I’ve said about some other guys, he just adds another element to our offense. We have so many different types of players that we can switch guys in and out and it gives you a whole new look. I think that’s a big thing in the league is being able to make it harder on the defense. we just have a lot of weapons right now which is great.”

Rehab regiment

Defensive tackle Malcom Brown was seen running between the end zones, part of his rehab for a toe injury that kept him from team drills. Cornerback Darious Williams also has not participated because of an undisclosed injury.

"I think they're very similar to James [Robinson]. I don't like to talk about timelines and all that because you never know," Pederson said. "But they're both doing extremely well and working hard, so we'll see, I think, when it's down the road, training camp. As we get going, we'll see where they fit in."

Robinson continues to rehab from his torn Achilles tendon injury in December but has started to do running drills. The Jaguars say he remains on schedule to be a participant in training camp.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars enters final week of OTAs with injury woes