3 reasons Jacksonville Jaguars hit out of the ballpark with the Doug Pederson hire

1. Jacksonville Jaguars HC Doug Pederson helped Trevor Lawrence

One of the things that made the Jaguars’ head-coaching opening appealing was the chance to work with Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In spite of talent, the former Clemson Tiger struggled in his rookie campaign, throwing just 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, tied with Matthew Stafford for the most in the league.

Surrounding Lawrence with a better-supporting cast was important and one of the Jaguars’ priorities last offseason. Besides wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. and running back James Robinson, the Jacksonville offense lacked weapons. However, the young quarterback also needed the right coach to help him improve. Pederson seemed to be the right man for the job.

Back with the Philadelphia Eagles, Pederson helped Carson Wentz play at an MVP level in 2017. Unfortunately, Wentz went down with a torn ACL but Philly managed to win the Super Bowl and they did it with Nick Foles at the helm. That’s a reflection of Pederson’s work with quarterbacks.

Lawrence showed immense growth in his first season with Pederson. He completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 4,113 yards with 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions (only two in the last eight games of the season). On top of that, he had five rushing touchdowns, making him the first quarterback in franchise history to register 25 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns.

Furthermore, Lawrence put his comeback skills on display. He led the winning drive against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12 and helped the Jaguars overcome a 17-point deficit on three different occasions, against the Dallas Cowboys, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Lawrence was poised to improve in Year 2 regardless of who the Jaguars’ head coach was. However, it’s hard to see him getting so much better without Pederson’s tutelage.