The Jacksonville Jaguars will be back in action very soon. With the preseason starting up soon, Doug Pederson's squad is ready to defend its AFC South championship and look to make a deeper run in the playoffs. Trevor Lawrence is leading the way and will likely hit the field again before Week 1.

The Jaguars will start playing real football on Saturday when they face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Pederson said in an appearance on NFL Network that he expects Lawrence to play against the Cowboys, according to Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.

“I’m a big believer in the starters playing,” Pederson said, via ProFootballTalk. “I really feel like they need to feel that energy that comes with starting a football game. I did it last year with the guys and I anticipate right now him getting maybe a series or two this weekend.”

Getting your key players some playing time in the preseason is not a bad idea even though the concerns of suffering an injury in a meaningless game will consume the fans watching and linger over the team. Lawrence will probably just play a quarter at most. He started a pair of preseason games last year but now that he has proven to be knocking on the door of superstardom, Pederson may — and should — lighten his preseason workload more.

Pederson explained that preseason is the right time to evaluate players on the fringes of the roster. But he also understands that ramping up his starters for the season is helpful, too, as letting them go right into it could lead to injuries during the season. Lawrence sounds like he had a productive offseason and should be able to get some good drives going against the Cowboys defense.

The 2023 season should be a big one for Lawrence as he welcomes Calvin Ridley to the team and looks to take his game to another level. Ridley getting reps in the preseason will be very important for him after being away from the game for nearly two years.