Mac Jones finds great joy in competition as he vies for a backup role with his hometown Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Its easy to spot Mac Jones on Jacksonvilles practice fields. Hes the one dancing between plays.Shimmying. Shaking. Strutting. Smiling.The 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft is clearly enjoying his new role with his hometown team. After being the third Jaguars quarterback to take the field in last weeks preseason opener against Kansas City, Jones is expected to start against Tampa Bay on Saturday.With Trevor Lawrence taking the night off following two joint practices with the Bucs, Jones will get a chance to secure the teams backup job. Its a far cry from being THE GUY for 43 games in New England, but its also a refreshing reboot for the former Alabama star.ADVERTISEMENT Jeurys Familia Jersey Ive competed my whole life and I find great joy in competition, Jones said. I try to just be myself. Im not going to change because of one thing or another.Jones and C.J. Beathard are expected to split the exhibition. Jones completed Neil Walker Jersey 9 of 11 pa ses for 98 yards against the Chiefs; Beathard connected on 7 of 14 for 125 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown pa s to Devin Duvernay.It would be a mild upset if Jones didnt land the No. 2 spot. After all, the Jaguars traded a sixth-round draft pick to New England in March in hopes of finding an upgrade behind Lawrence.Lawrence mi sed the first game of his profe sional career following a sprained right shoulder in December. He also mi sed significant practice time because of other injuries: a sprained left knee in Week 6, a sprained right ankle in Week 13 and a concu sion in Week 15.Beathard, 30, won his lone start in 2023 but also dealt with a nagging shoulder injury down the stretch. He is entering the final year of his contract.The 25-year-old Jones, meanwhile, became available once the Patriots and new coach Jerod Mayo decided they were going to draft a quarterback (Drake Maye) with the No. 3 pick in April. It was a low-risk move for Jacksonville, which is on the hook for $2.8 million in the final year of his rookie deal.It Adrian Gonzalez Jersey also gave Jones a fresh start after getting booed, benched and eventually booted. The Jacksonville native and starter during Alabama's 2020 national championship run doesn't have nearly the same amount of pre sure now. But he insists hes approaching everything the same way he did in college and in New England.Some years youre the starter and you may not be playing much. A lot of times its a coachs decision. But I always want to get out there and play as much as I can, he said. Whether youre the starter, backup, third or fourth, it Jay Bruce Jersey doesnt matter. You want the reps in the game.The Jaguars believe Jones has meshed well in their QB room and it shows in practice. He celebrates big plays like few others and has no problem letting loose between plays and during drills.Hes going to have a fun time no matter what, coach Doug Pederson said. I think thats just his personality. Hes great in the locker room, great with the guys. Sometimes he drives us crazy with some of the stuff he does or says, but its good. I think its really good because when he gets in there, its busine s. Hes a competitor, and he loves to compete.Jones gets to do it daily, too, mostly in friendly games of throwing accuracy and precision against Lawrence and Beathard.When he Travis D'Arnaud Jersey got here, I was kind of just wondering what kind of guy he was because I had never met him, never knew anything, Beathard said. Hes just a great dude, easy to get along with. Has fun, really happy go lucky out there. Its cool to see that.A guy thats been through a lot. To be able to handle it and just kind of go with the punches and roll with it, its impre sive.___AP NFL: