Having a good quarterback substantially increases your odds of winning football games. This is why you see teams making a big commitment at the position. That said, the demand for viable signal-callers in the NFL outweighs the supply, which is why not every club has a competent passer. Fortunately for the Jacksonville Jaguars, they don't have to worry about that because they have Trevor Lawrence.
Although Lawrence has been inconsistent at times since the Jags drafted him first overall in 2021, he's also shown that he can play at an absurdly high level. Not surprisingly, he got a relatively high spot in a recent quarterback ranking.
Trevor Lawrence is No. 11 in Fansided's quarterback ranking
Fansided published their NFL quarterback rankings in which 50 experts drew up their assessments of every single signal-caller, even those who didn't crack a 53-man roster or landed on their practice squad.
Experts gave each quarterback a score from 12 to 1. 12 was the best, 11 was for top-five QBs, 10 for playoff-caliber starters, and 9 was for above-average starters. As you can imagine, the lower the number, the worse the quarterback was, with 1 being the rock bottom. It's worth noting that each expert could only give one 12 to one signal-caller.
Quarterbacks were divided into tiers. Tier one was reserved for only the best. Tier two was for high-end quarterbacks. The strong QBs and solid starters popped up in No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Tier 5 was for game managers, and No. 6 was for replacement-level passers.
Trevor Lawrence landed in Tier 3 with 9.30 points. C.J. Stroud popped up in the same tier, scoring 8.50 points. Meanwhile, Daniel Jones and Cam Ward popped up in Tier 4; both of them had 7.42 points.
As you can see, Lawrence was the top-ranked quarterback in the AFC South, and understandably so. He had 4,007 yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and nine rushing touchdowns last season. He should be even better next season, as he enters his second year in Liam Coen's scheme.
Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud was the second-best passer in the division. After an electrifying rookie campaign, Stroud has been unremarkable the past two years. Some of his struggles stemmed from the lack of support he has from the Texans, but he's yet to prove that he can elevate his team.
You could even make the case that Daniel Jones was playing better than Stroud last year before he tore his Achilles. Then again, Danny Dimes wasn't particularly productive during his time with the New York Giants, so it's hard to tell whether he truly bucked the trend during his stint with the Colts.
The biggest intrigue in the AFC South is Ward. He flashed in his rookie campaign and has intriguing upside, so there's a chance he could turn the Titans into a competitive team and exceed expectations. That said, the jury is still out, since he's yet to prove anything.
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Trevor Lawrence gives the Jaguars a chance to become a contender
Of course, Trevor Lawrence must prove he can play at a high level on a consistent basis to stay in the top half of quarterback rankings and potentially move into the top 10. Working in his favor is that he'll at last have the stability he's lacked at different points of his career.
Liam Coen managed to get Lawrence to play at a high level last year. He should be even better in his second system in the same system. Speaking of Coen, he wants No. 16 to use his legs more to throw off opposing defenses.
But aside from Coen, Lawrence will have a wide array of weapons. The Jacksonville wide receiver corps is one of the deepest in the league, and their tight end room also has lots of talent. Moreover, the sixth-year quarterback won't have to score 30 points a game to have a chance to win if the defense picks up where it left off last year.
Simply put, the Jaguars are setting up Trevor Lawrence for success, and he will, in turn, turn them into a contender.
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