Jaguars’ Doug Pederson Criticizes Patriots Over Mac Jones’ Development During NFL Preseason | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

Mac Jones had an impressive preseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but head coach Doug Pederson said he still has some work to do.

Pederson also played against the New England Patriots, Jones’ former team.

“Mac has played extremely well the last couple of weeks and has really started to believe in what we’re doing,” Pederson said, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “He’s still going to revert to his Patriots ways at times, and we have to remind him that he’s in Jacksonville. But he’s done a good job of managing the offense and leading it and getting everybody involved. He sees the field well, throws a good ball, so he’s done a good job.”

There’s no doubt that Jones struggled while with the Patriots, and Pederson seemed to be attempting to replicate the way he developed in New England over the first three years of his career. Jones’ worst season with the Patriots came last year, when he had 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and it was clear he needed a change of scenery.

It appears that being on a new team is paying off early. In three preseason games, Jones had 421 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions as he led the Jags to three dominant victories over the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons.

Jones likely won’t see playing time as Jacksonville’s starting center, as Trevor Lawrence holds that title. However, he could still make a few appearances throughout the season to further develop.

If Jones’ preparation is truly a reflection of his offseason development, there’s a good chance teams will want to designate him as the QB1 when he becomes a free agent next offseason.