Trevor Lawrence is without a doubt the most important player on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ roster. Although he struggled as a rookie in 2021, it wasn’t because of a lack of talent. Instead, he arrived at a less-than-optimal situation and his performance suffered because of it.
Knowing how important Lawrence is for the organization’s long-term success, the Jags have taken important steps this offseason to ensure he’s in a position to succeed. Here are three ways the Jags have helped their young quarterback.
No. 1 way the Jaguars have helped Trevor Lawrence – Hiring Doug Pederson.
Back when the Jaguars hired Urban Meyer as a head coach, they thought they had gotten someone who would help them right the ship. But what they got instead was one of the worst seasons in franchise history and a myriad of scandals and head-scratching decisions. All this dysfunction held the team back and hurt Trevor Lawrence’s development in his first NFL campaign.
After giving Meyer the boot, the Jaguars knew they couldn’t afford to hire the wrong head coach (again) and after an exhaustive search, they settled on Doug Pederson, whose NFL resume should give everyone a reason for optimism.
As the head coach Philadelphia Eagles, Pederson helped Carson Wentz play at an MVP level early in his career won the Super Bowl in just his second season at the helm. Moreover, he has a background as an NFL player, having played quarterback in the 1990s and the early 2000s. That should help him connect with players and build a healthy environment in Jacksonville.
Pederson’s presence will have a positive impact on Jaguars players but Trevor Lawrence will most likely benefit the most, as he now has a head coach that knows what he’s doing. Moreover, Pederson will gameplan around the sophomore quarterback’s strengths and will help him polish his mechanics. Lawrence will be coached hard but will become better because of it.
No. 2 way the Jaguars have helped Trevor Lawrence – Getting him weapons.
Good coaching can only help a quarterback so much, and at some point, they need to have top-notch weapons to throw the ball to. Think of Drew Brees, Joe Montana, and Peyton Manning. All of them had great coaches, but they also had outstanding supporting casts.
The Jaguars recognized that Trevor Lawrence didn’t have optimal weapons at his disposal last season, so they made an effort to get him as many as possible in free agency. Besides signing wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, they added tight end Evan Engram. If that wasn’t enough, general manager Trent Baalke brought back Laquon Treadwell, who became of their top targets at the end of the 2021 campaign. While none of them fit the elite label, it’s possible that none of them have reached their ceiling yet.
Marvin Jones Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. are also coming back and both of them should be better than they were last year. Although they put up solid numbers early in the season, their performance faded down the stretch and they were hardly a factor outside the team’s upset win over the Indianapolis Colts.
With Meyer now gone, Shenault should pick up where he left off after a promising rookie campaign and Jones should fill his role as a solid No.2 receiver. Keep in mind that the Jaguars aren’t done adding offensive weapons and there’s a good chance they will use one (maybe two) of their early picks – they have four selections in the first three rounds – in another wide receiver and possibly a tight end, so Lawrence should have more than enough weapons in 2022.
No. 3 way the Jaguars have helped Trevor Lawrence – Fortifying the O-Line.
As important as giving Trevor Lawrence better weapons was (and still is), the Jaguars also needed to fortify their offensive line. As the Cincinnati Bengals showed in Super Bowl 56, your quarterback can have a superb group of wide receivers but it won’t help much if you don’t have enough time to find them.
Head coach Doug Pederson has previously said that you win football games in the trenches and he’s right. If you constantly pressure a quarterback, you will get him out of rhythm and will force him into making mistakes. Similarly, give your signal-caller enough time to throw the ball and he will eventually find someone open. Sticking to that philosophy, the Jaguars’ brass applied the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson, who allowed just one sack in 2021. Moreover, they brought in Brandon Scherff, one of the best guards in the league and one that will ensure Lawrence’s jersey stays as clean as possible.
Even with Brandon Linder officially retiring, the Jags will have options at center. Tyler Shatley took his place in the lineup for a significant amount of time and did a serviceable job. At right tackle, the Jags expect Jawaan Taylor to take a step forward after regressing the past two seasons. Furthermore, Walker Little showed promise in his rookie season, so the coaching staff needs to find a spot for him in the starting lineup.
Once the Jaguars shuffle their offensive line and find the right combination, Trevor Lawrence should have pretty stout protection up front, which in turn will give him the chance to do what he does best, play football at a high level.