The Jacksonville Jaguars put an end to their quarterback competition when head coach Urban Meyer announced Trevor Lawrence will be the starter in Week 1 of the regular season. Also, he will get the starting nod versus the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 of the preseason.
There was never a doubt Lawrence would get the starting job before the start of the season. He was the Jaguars’ best quarterback throughout training camp, and it’s not even close. He had more good practices than bad ones and constantly displayed his ability to throw the ball. The Clemson product had a sitdown with the local media and talked about the Jaguars’ decision to name him the starter.
"I’m really excited for the opportunity. I’m grateful for it. It doesn’t really change anything though. We still have the same task in front of us, we’ve got to get a lot better individually, as a team, as an offense. It brings some clarity, which is nice, going forward but it really doesn’t change much."
Lawrence has been splitting reps with Gardner Minshew during training camp. Meyer said that once he earned the job, he would exclusively get first-team reps. The Jaguars head coach noted that he hadn’t talked to Minshew yet but took the opportunity to praise him.
"Obviously, my respect for Gardner has been well documented, and it’s just a warrior. And then, Gardner got stuck behind some protection issues. At times, he was running for his life back there."
However, Meyer pointed out that the backup job is open as well. This isn’t surprising, as C.J. Beathard threw for two touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints while Minshew went 13-of-21 for 149 with one interception. Whoever plays better against the Cowboys could end up earning the backup quarterback job, so this is something worth keeping an eye on.
Without further ado, here are other preseason developments.
Tight end is probably the Jacksonville Jaguars’ weakest positional group.
The Jaguars signed Chris Manhertz in the offseason but it feels like they could have done more to upgrade their tight end room. Yes, they drafted Luke Farrell in Round 5 of 2021’s draft but he’s a developmental project at this point of his career.
Manhertz is an outstanding blocker and will see the field in short-yardage and red-zone situations but he’s hardly a receiving threat. He has 12 career catches and six of them came last season. Sophomore Ben Ellefson could eventually move up the depth chart, as he’s had a solid training camp. However, expecting him to become a reliable option in the passing game after hauling in just one reception for ten yards in 2020 may be too much to ask.
Veteran James O’Shaughnessy will be the Jaguars’ primary pass-catching tight end but he’s not someone opposing defensive coordinators will need to game plan for. Tyler Davis may or may not make the 53-man roster but he recorded no stats in his rookie campaign. To his credit, he caught a receiving touchdown in Week 1 of the preseason. Still, the Jags lack a true number one tight end.
There’s a chance Manhertz turns into a functional receiver or Ellefson has a breakout season in 2021. Nevertheless, the Jags will head into the regular season without a true number one tight end. Someone needs to separate himself from the bunch. Otherwise, the team’s brass will have to sign or draft one early next offseason.
How will the Jacksonville Jaguars’ secondary fare in 2021?
The Jaguars’ brass revamped their secondary this offseason, signing players such as cornerback Shaquill Griffin and safety Rayshawn Jenkins in free agency. Moreover, they selected Tyson Campbell 33rd overall and Andre Cisco in Round 3 of the draft. The secondary looks solid on paper but the group has struggled in two straight preseason games.
Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 of the preseason, they made quarterback Jameis Winston look like Peyton Manning, and couldn’t stop him from scoring in consecutive drives. The Jags didn’t fare much better against the Cleveland Brown the week before, allowing 319 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
It’s not time to panic yet but the Jaguars need to do a better job of stopping the pass. Last season, they ranked 27th in passing touchdowns allowed. In particular, Campbell has given up touchdowns in back-to-back games. When asked if he was concerned, head coach Urban Meyer said he was but added that team is really high on him.
"Of course, it worries us but we asked them to play as hard as they possibly can and the coach’s responsibility to somehow get them in those, I call snatch, snapshot moments. How do you do that without, okay go run 40 yards? So we’re gonna do some creative things out there to judge it. He misjudged it. And then the other one, he didn’t lead back in the first game… we’re really high on him. I think his future is real strong."
Not everything is gloom and doom though. Second-year cornerback C.J. Henderson has played well over the last two weeks and has a legitimate shot to start opposite Griffin in the season opener after missing a good chunk of training camp. Also, Cisco has put his athleticism on display and looks like a good bet to join the starting lineup at some point of the 2021 season. The Jaguars’ secondary hasn’t performed particularly well in the preseason but they still have time to right the ship before Week 1.
The Jacksonville Jaguars must protect Trevor Lawrence.
Trevor Lawrence has been far from great in this year’s preseason. It’s true that he needs to get rid of the ball faster but hasn’t gotten much help from the offensive line. Also, the Jags have had trouble running the ball, so it’s really hard to assess the rookie quarterback’s performance over the last two weeks.
During Meyer’s sitdown with the media on Wednesday, he touched on the team’s inability to get the running game going against the Saints.
"When I talked to you guys after the game, we were very disappointed with the run game. And what’s our identity? what’s all those questions? But then, I watched the film and a lot of it was perimeter blocking issues that we have many missed assignments."
Keep in mind that the Jaguars were without three starters, so their offensive line should get a boost once they’re back in the lineup.
The Jaguars opted to bring back all their starting offensive linemen from last year. The team’s brass believes that having the same group will lead to more consistency and a better performance upfront. Left tackle Cam Robinson, right tackle A.J. Cann, and left guard Andrew Norwell are set to become free agents next offseason. It will be interesting to see who stays beyond 2021 but the unit could look very different next year.
In fact, Jacksonville drafted offensive tackle Walker Little in Round 2 of this year’s selection meeting. Although he’s not ready yet, he could take Robinson’s spot in the lineup. For the time being, the Jaguars believe their offensive line can protect Lawrence this upcoming season. Let’s see if their trust pays off.