Prized quarterbacks battle it out in Florida as Jaguars visit Dolphins

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Dolphins teammate Tua Tagovailoa showed off their courage on the field Sunday afternoon as Jacksonville and Miami face off in their season opener in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Lawrence and Tagovailoa agreed to the largest deals in franchise history for their teams this summer, with Lawrence signing a five-year, $275 million contract and Tagovailoa signing a four-year, $212.4 million contract.

The Jaguars gave Lawrence a new weapon to work with last offseason, acquiring Gabe Davis in free agency and then selecting wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd pick in April’s draft to compensate for the loss of Calvin Ridley. He signed with the Titans in free agency.

Davis and Thomas will flank Christian Kirk, who had 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns on 84 receptions — all career-highs — in 2022 before a core muscle injury limited him to 12 games last season. Kirk finished the season with 57 receptions for 787 yards and three scores.

Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s awareness is at the top of Lawrence’s checklist this week. Ramsey did not practice today because of a hamstring injury.

“You give him a lot of respect for what he’s done in his career,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. “I just found out where he was going to be, understood it and showed him respect.”

The Dolphins will be without new No. 3 quarterback Odell Beckham Jr., who will miss the first four games, but Miami’s speedy duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will once again be at Tagovailoa’s disposal.

Hill led the NFL with 1,799 yards in 2023. He also caught 13 touchdowns, tied with Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the league lead. Waddle caught 72 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.

With so many talented players on both sides of the court, Lawrence knows Sunday’s game could turn into a shootout, but he still has faith in Jacksonville’s defense.

“I have a lot of faith in our defense,” Lawrence said. “There are times when we’re going to have to take on the burden and carry the defense a little bit, and vice versa. They’re going to have to, in some games, carry us when we’re not doing well.”

Ryan Nielsen is entering his first season as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator after earning the job in January. He held the same title with the Atlanta Falcons last season and was the co-defensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints in 2022.

Pederson knows Nielsen will face stiff competition in its first week.

“They get on you fast,” Pederson said of the Dolphins. “When you’re shooting film, those guys are on you and they’re on you. And I think Tua is great at anticipating where the windows are.”

Tagovailoa isn’t paying much attention to Nielsen’s game plan, instead focusing on who he’ll face on the field.

“I study their players,” Tagovailoa said. “Not the same scheme, just who’s good in coverage, who’s someone we think, ‘OK, maybe we have a little more leverage with this guy in coverage.’ That’s kind of what I base it on. …

“Then you go back to New Orleans, when (Nielsen) was DC, to the Falcons.”

Miami’s defense could be without center back Jaelan Phillips (Achilles tendon) and Ramsey (hamstring injury).

Defensive end Jordan Poyer (thumb), middle linebacker Quinton Bell (thumb) and center Aaron Brewer (hand) were among six Dolphins players unable to participate in practice due to injuries.

The only player listed on the Jaguars injury report was safety Daniel Thomas, who played limitedly in practice today due to an Achilles injury.