Jaguars taking right approach with QB Trevor Lawrence

The Jacksonville Jaguars want to make sure quarterback Trevor Lawrence, whom they drafted first overall in this year’s draft, is ready to take the field in Week 1 of the 2021 season. For that reason, their approach to minicamp makes sense as the rookie quarterback rehabs his shoulder.

Lawrence will participate in rookie minicamp, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, but his participation will be limited after undergoing labrum surgery on his non-throwing shoulder a few months ago. The Jaguars will err on the side of caution and won’t risk him suffering a setback, so even though he will show up, they won’t ask him to do much.

As Rapoport pointed out, minicamps are ‘glorified walkthroughs’, so Lawrence won’t be missing out on anything important nor fall behind. On the other hand, the Clemson standout is still showing up, so it’s not as if he will just sit this one out while his teammates are grinding.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are taking a smart approach with Trevor Lawrence.

Quarterbacks don’t grow on trees. This Jacksonville team knows this better than anybody, as they looked for a signal-caller for a long time before they stumbled upon Lawrence. Now that they have their quarterback of the future, they need to take care of him and protect him as much as possible.

This doesn’t mean the Jags will place the Tennessee native in a bubble and will be some sort of helicopter parents (helicopter coaches?). The team simply needs to make sure Lawrence won’t be exposed to any kind of unnecessary risk and while rookie minicamp may benefit some of the newcomers, he might not gain much.

Knowing the kind of competition Lawrence is, he surely wants to get more involved, but he also understands that he needs to trust the process and follow his rehab timeline. He needs to be ready for the regular season, so it’s not the end of the world if he misses the team’s minicamp if that means he will be at full strength in Week 1.

The Jaguars have done a good job rebuilding the team this offseason and there’s no doubt Lawerence is the most important piece in their rebuilding effort, so limiting his participation in rookie minicamp and making sure he’s ready to contribute is a sound approach.