ARLINGTON, Texas — Calvin Ridley had two catches in his first game in nearly two years, and Trevor Lawrence responded to an interception with a touchdown pass in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 28-23 win over the Dallas Cowboys in a preseason opener Saturday.
Playing against mostly Dallas backup defenders, Ridley had a short catch on Jacksonville's second series, then a first down grab on the third possession before Lawrence's scoring toss to Christian Kirk.
The TD was set up by a fumble on a punt return from KaVontae Turpin, who a year ago essentially made the roster with the Cowboys by returning a kickoff and a punt for scores in the same preseason game.
It was the first game for Ridley since Oct. 24, 2021. The receiver, playing through a broken left foot that season, stepped away to address his mental health following a home robbery. He was suspended for the entire 2022 season because he bet on the NFL while away from the Atlanta Falcons.
The Jaguars traded two draft picks to get Ridley last November, and he’s been the team’s most dynamic player so far in training camp. He caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020, when Ridley said he played most of the season with that broken foot.
The QBs behind Lawrence, C.J. Beathard and Nathan Rourke, had a short TD run apiece.
Rourke had the play of the game in the fourth quarter when he escaped two defenders and was in the arms of a third while throwing a 21-yard scoring pass to Qadree Ollison.
Dallas third-stringer Will Grier threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert, a second-year receiver trying to get into the rotation after a quiet rookie season.
Jacksonville played its starters on the first two offensive series, and it ended up being three after Turpin's fumble was recovered by Gregory Junior at the Dallas 42-yard line.
Ridley's second catch was a 13-yarder for a first down, and Lawrence's 9-yard scoring toss to Kirk came on fourth-and-3.
Lawrence was 5 of 6 for 36 yards, 21 of them going to Ridley. The first Jacksonville series ended when Lawrence threw deep while rolling to his left and undrafted second-year safety Juanyeh Thomas made the catch in front of Evan Engram.
The Cowboys didn't play quarterback Dak Prescott or any other projected starters on offense in coach Mike McCarthy's return to play-calling. The closest thing was right guard Josh Ball, who is filling in for Zack Martin with the six-time All-Pro holding out of training camp in a contract dispute.
GO FOR IT
The Jags apparently didn't need to see kicker Brandon McManus, who was signed in May after he was waived by Denver. McManus spent his first nine seasons with the Broncos. Jacksonville went for 2-point conversions after all four TDs. Two passes were caught, and two were incomplete.
DEUCE ON THE LOOSE
Dallas rookie Deuce Vaughn had a solid debut with 50 yards on eight carries, all in the second half. The 5-foot-5 running back had a 26-yard run and a catch for a third down conversion before a 4-yard run that gave the Cowboys their only lead at 16-14.
STILL A PAT PROBLEM
Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey, a 28-year-old rookie from the USFL and former pro soccer player, kicked a 29-yard field goal in his debut before missing his first point attempt. He made the second.
Aubrey is the only kicker on the roster at the moment. The Cowboys decided to move on from Brett Maher after he missed four consecutive PATs in a 31-14 wild-card victory at Tampa Bay last season.
