While there are a ton of quarterback battles happening around the NFL, it is also prevalent with the Jacksonville Jaguars as there is a battle of who will be the backup to star Trevor Lawrence. With Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson spoke to the media to give his analysis on the battle between the two hungry players.

Beathard has been with Jacksonville since 2021, but is going up against Jones who is a former first round pick and has a bevy of experience under his belt starting games with the New England Patriots. For Pederson, he would say that the competition between the two “has been really close,” but it's important to know it has been a mutual experience since the coach expressed that Beathard is a “really positive influence” on Jones according to the team's website.

“It has been really close honestly,” Pederson said Thursday. “The addition of Mac was great for that room. It was great for C.J. Both those guys have really embraced the challenge. We've been upfront with both of them and explained exactly how camp was going to go and really both of them I think are within three or four reps of having a 50-50 split right down the middle. So, it's been good. It's been good competition.”

“C.J. has been a really positive influence on Mac, just learning the system,” Pederson continued. “That's something you don't see. When somebody's challenging for your spot, and you see that other player coach him up a little bit, that's encouraging and that's positive. But both guys have done a great job.”

Jaguars quarterbacks in Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard help one another

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on as quarterback Mac Jones (10) passes next to quarterback C.J. Beathard (3) during a combined NFL football training camp session between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK
That feeling from Pederson of each player helping out with one another is constant when both quarterbacks talk about their relationship. Beathard has been in many battles for the backup quarterback spot as he's been in the league for eight seasons now and emphasizes how there is “no bad blood” between him and Jones.

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“It's the same I've done literally my whole life, since I was in high school,” Beathard said Thursday. “There's no bad blood. I'm boys with Mac, I'm boys with Trevor. We get along really well together. We laugh a lot together. It would be a lot harder if it was a tough situation as far as personality-wise, but Mac is a great dude. He's easy to get along with. We're just having fun.”

As for Jones who is seeking a fresh start with the Jaguars after a disappointing stint in New England, he feels the exact same way even comparing one another to “brothers.” Last season, he threw for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

“We're brothers in there and that's what you want,” Jones said. “You want to bounce ideas off each other and compete every day. It's like three brothers out there just throwing the ball around. We compete in that regard. But at the end of the day, we're on the same team. We're all working for the common goal. Every good team I've been on, that's the case. The bad ones, not so much.”

Both will look to further show they're the backup quarterback in the Jaguars' next preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday.