Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence’s intangibles will help him thrive for long time

Quarterbacks must have arm strength, high football IQ, and field awareness to succeed in the NFL. Trevor Lawrence has them all but he also possesses several intangible traits that don’t pop up on the stat sheet. Just last Sunday, Lawrence held himself accountable for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions. Moreover, he also showed a willingness to play hurt, and those are intangible traits that will help him be the Jags’ face of the franchise for a long time.

Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor met with the local media Thursday and said that Lawrence’s toughness has never been a question.

“From my experience here with Trevor, there’s never been a question of his toughness and his availability for the team”, Taylor said. “I don’t think everybody feels confident that Trevor is going to play. Trevor has the ability to and there’s time, it’s our decision to protect players from themselves”.

Later in the media availability session, Taylor says that Lawrence is doing everything possible to play against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14 and others are taking notice.

“Everybody’s got bumps and bruises. There’s everybody dealing with something, pushing through something, so teammates and coaches see other guys and their willingness to put themselves in position to battle back from some sort of bump, bruise, injury, whatever it may be to make themselves available”, Taylor said.

Lawrence’s Week 13 injury seemed to be on the knee area but it ended up being on the toe. He told the media Wednesday that he plans to play if he can. But he isn’t good to go, C.J. Beathard will get the starting nod against the Tennessee Titans. Here’s Taylor’s exchange with the media.

Trevor Lawrence has steadily become a leader for the Jaguars

After a disastrous rookie campaign, Lawrence has shown noticeable growth in Year 2. His numbers are significantly better and he also put on display the ability to close games when he engineered a game-winning drive against the Ravens. But he’s also exhibited the kind of attributes you want to see in the face of your franchise.

Unlike fellow quarterback Zach Wilson, Lawrence will take responsibility when the Jaguars lose. Conversely, he’ll talk about team effort and will praise his teammates when they win. That’s the kind of mindset you want from a leader, and when it comes to the former Clemson Tiger, you won’t hear anything but good things about him in the locker room. Not surprisingly, he’s been named team captain the last two seasons.

Heading into Week 14, Lawrence is pushing through injuries when he could simply wait an extra week to fully heal. Of course, he won’t suit up if he’s healthy enough but he knows his teammates are counting on him. They wouldn’t hold it against him if he doesn’t play but they would surely want him to be on the field with them.

Lawrence is still growing as a quarterback but he’s already showing the kind of traits, both tangible and intangible, that will help him thrive in the NFL for a long time.