Is it Time for the Return of the Mac?

This week in Jacksonville, there is a lot of talk about recent happenings. A former first-round pick might be the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones is on standby to possibly start this week as Jacksonville hosts a home game against the Minnesota Vikings, according to ESPN Senior Writer and NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Trevor Lawrence suffered a left shoulder injury last week during Jacksonville's 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Lawrence talked about the injury and his status for Sunday.

"I'm not going to put a day on it on when a decision will be made. [I] want to be able to feel comfortable and feel like I can play my best and give everything I can to help our team win. I think that's what the decision comes down to at the end of the day. That's where my mind is and what I'm thinking about," said Lawrence.

The injury led Jacksonville to add C.J. Beathard to the 53-man active roster from the Miami Dolphins practice squad yesterday. Beathard served as Lawrence's backup for the previous three seasons before the Jaguars acquired Jones from the New England Patriots in March.

Doug Pederson commented on the recent developments at the starting quarterback position.

"Mac is still the No. 2, obviously, and prepares each week to play. And now we've got another veteran quarterback on the roster," said Pederson.

Jones, a first-round draft selection from Alabama's unbeaten CFP national championship team in 2020, started all 42 games for the Patriots until being benched for the final six games of the 2023 NFL season. Jones has played two games with the Jaguars. He's completed 6 of 9 throws for 28 yards.

Jones commented on the possibility of being the starting quarterback for Jacksonville's matchup versus Minnesota.

"I'm always ready to go in. I've had a good experience with that, and that's my job and I focus on that, and prepare my mindset for that moment. And definitely, as a backup quarterback, you never know when that's going to be. I always say, 'You're not taking the first snap but you can take every other snap so you just got to be ready.' And that's the mentality I've always had," said Jones.

The Jaguars and Vikings will go to battle on Sunday at noon central time at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Chase Brumfield is the morning producer and writer for Tide 100.9. He is currently a senior studying communications at Mississippi State University. Follow Chase for more Alabama content on X at @cb3864.