After trailing 17-0 early in Week 10, the Jacksonville Jaguars were within striking distance of coming back and they nearly pull off the upset but ultimately fell short, losing 23-17. One of their reasons was the offense’s inability to move the ball. In particular, Trevor Lawrence was far from great, going 16 of 35 for 170 with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
After the game, Lawrence refused to point fingers and instead told the local media he has to play better. While his words are commendable, he’s not the only Jaguar that needs to improve. In fact, you could make the case his teammates are the ones that need to step up, as they haven’t helped him much in recent weeks.
Either way, Lawrence has been heavily scrutinized in recent weeks. There’s no doubt fans are frustrated and want to see results after several years of losing. However, Rome wasn’t built in one day and the rookie passer wasn’t going to turn the Jaguars into an offensive powerhouse right off the bat. He needs more than nine games to prove he’s their quarterback of the future.
Heck, Blake Bortles got a handful of years to show what he could do and even signed a contract extension. He ended up flopping but the point is that other quarterbacks before Lawrence were given time, so it’s only fair he also gets a fair amount.
Lawrence has struggled at times and can play better but so do most players when they first arrive in the NFL. Here are three reasons a good amount of the criticism he is getting is unfair and should be taken with a grain of salt.
1. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a rookie after all.
It’s easy to forget Trevor Lawrence is a rookie. Perhaps it’s his demeanor or maybe the way he approaches his job. Regardless of the reason, the former Clemson Tiger has played just nine games in the NFL and is far from a finished product.
Sure, Lawrence was the most talented quarterback prospect to come out of college ranks in recent years but he’s still adjusting to the pros. The talent is there but expecting him to play like Peyton Manning or Troy Aikman in their prime may be unrealistic. In fact, those two signal-callers also struggled in their respective rookie campaigns but both went on to have successful careers in the NFL.
Lawrence could go through a similar path. Now, he’s got a long way to go before he can be compared to Manning or Aikman but both players show it sometimes takes time to see tangible results.
Calling Lawrence a bust or wanting C.J. Beathard to start is the definition of a hot take. Beathard could prove some short-term relief but he may already have reached his ceiling and Lawrence has significantly more potential. Benching Lawrence and hampering his long-term development just to get a few more wins doesn’t make sense and is something the Jaguars shouldn’t even consider.
The truth is that Lawrence has shown signs of progress in the past few months. He’s thrown just three touchdowns in the last six games but he’s also cut down on his number of interceptions. After throwing seven in the first three weeks of the year, he’s registered just two in the last six.
2. The Jaguars haven’t surrounded Trevor Lawrence with enough weapons.
As talented as Lawrence is, he won’t grow, let alone win football games, if the Jaguars don’t put him in a position to succeed. Keep in mind that Jacksonville clinched the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, which they used to select the signal-caller, because they were the worst team in the NFL.
The Jaguars didn’t have many playmakers last season, and although head coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke did a good job of acquiring talent this past offseason, one year is not enough to fully replenish a roster that was in dire need of difference-makers in 2020. The Jags don’t currently have a deep threat on the roster, and their offensive line could use a boost, the same is true for the tight end group and even the running back room.
Simply, Lawrence’s supporting cast has played a role in his lack of production. His wide receivers have failed to create separation and have dropped a staggering 18 passes this season. Head coach Urban Meyer was genuinely shocked when he heard that figure, as he didn’t think they were that many. Losing DJ Chark for the season surely affected offense but the team should have had a contingency plan in place and it didn’t. No young quarterback is going to win without a solid supporting cast, and Lawrence is no exception.
The Jaguars’ offensive line has also been penalized at a high rate. They lead the league in false starts with 18, per The Football Database. They have also been flagged 10 times for offensive holding. That’s not acceptable and all those penalties have affected the offense’s efficiency. Also, Lawrence has had to scramble a lot and if he weren’t as mobile as he is, he would be sacked more often.
The Jags will need to keep retooling the roster next offseason if they want to put Lawrence in a position to succeed. For the time being, they need to cut down on the penalties. They can’t afford to keep shooting themselves on the foot.
3. The Jaguars are in a different position than other teams.
It’s easy to feel frustrated about Trevor Lawrence if you have watched fellow rookie quarterback Mac Jones play. However, they both arrived at two different situations. While the Jags just started a rebuild and have a rookie head coach at the helm, the New England Patriots are the winningest franchise in the last 20 years. Moreover, Bill Belichick is one of the best head coaches in NFL history and made sure to add as much talent as possible this offseason in order to help Jones.
The Alabama product has shown growth and has been playing with more confidence in recent weeks. But make no mistake, this wouldn’t have been possible if the Pats haven’t invested so much money in free agency to fortify their roster. In case you missed it, they signed tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry. They also inked wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.
Meanwhile, most of the offensive players the Jaguars signed in free agency haven’t had a big impact. Marvin Jones Jr. is a solid number two receiver and Dan Arnold has become a key cog on their offense since joining the team after Week 3. But that’s not enough.
Jones is having a better rookie campaign than Lawrence and is not close but that doesn’t mean the former is going to have the better career. Think of Rick Mirer and Drew Bledsoe. Mirer was the better rookie but Bledsoe turned out to be the better pro and even helped the Patriots play in one Super Bowl. The same is for the 2012 rookie quarterback class. Even though Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin had success right out of the gate, Russell Wilson has enjoyed a long career and is currently one of the top passers in the NFL:
That’s why it’s hard to tell who Jones’ and Lawrence’s careers are going to play out. Nevertheless, comparing Jones and Lawrence may be unfair. Let’s wait and see how they fare in the next few years before coming up with an objective conclusion.