The Jacksonville Jaguars have a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, but their struggles in recent years have made it difficult to assess how good he truly is. That's led an NFL analyst to wonder whether No. 16 can put it all together.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recently described every team's franchise player with one word and used embattled for Lawrence, pointing out that his viability as an NFL quarterback may be in question due to the Jags' failure to put him in a position to succeed.
"Coaching changes, personnel changes, injuries and flat-out inconsistent and often substandard performances have the 25-year-old former top pick likely fighting for his NFL future in 2025. "
Since being drafted first overall in 2021, Lawrence has had three head coaches. That kind of turnover will make it difficult for any player to build consistency. To make matters worse, his supporting cast has routinely left much to be desired.
In particular, the offensive line has had a hard time keeping him protected. If that wasn't enough, the running game has been non-existent the past two years, which has put extra pressure on Lawrence's shoulders to win games. When you add it all up, it's fair to say that Jacksonville hasn't done enough to put him in a position to succeed.
Of course, Lawrence must also share some of the blame. Last year, his decision-making wasn't optimal, and his mechanics weren't always great. In his defense, he had suboptimal coaching and the playcalling was at times questionable. Fortunately, the Jaguars realized they weren't helping him enough and revamped the coaching staff and front office this offseason.
The Jaguars new regime must get the most out of Trevor Lawrence
What's frustrating about Trevor Lawrence is that he showed in 2022 that he can put the team on his shoulders and play like a top-10 quarterback. Maybe if he hadn't previously at such a high level, expectations wouldn't be so high. Then again, it looks like last year's struggles were a wake-up call for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The organization realized that whatever it was doing wasn't enough to help the franchise quarterback, so it cleaned house, hiring Liam Coen as the head coach and James Gladstone to oversee the front office.
The duo will be tasked with having Lawrence playing at a top level, and both have made it clear that building the team around him is the priority. This seems like a tall order when you take into account that they lack experience at their respective jobs. Then again, the former regime didn't accomplish much despite the fact that they had lots of it.
Furthermore, Coen and Gladstone had done enough in the past to make you think that they could help Lawrence and steer the ship in the right direction. Heck, the Jaguars wouldn't have hired either if they weren't confident they could get the job done.
Granted, Liam Coen and Gladstone have their work cut out, but they have a few things going in their favor. For starters, the cupboard isn't bare. The Jags have building blocks on both sides of the ball to compete for the AFC South title sooner rather than later. On top of that, they have the resources to acquire difference-makes and depth in free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence are coming off an underwhelming season, but don't be surprised if the new regime manages to turn things around in 2025.