4 Jacksonville Jaguars who'll benefit most from Trent Baalke's roster overhaul

1. Trevor Lawrence, quarterback

No player might've benefited more from the Jaguars' free-agency overhaul than Trevor Lawrence. After a surprising run in 2022, he was seen as an ascending quarterback, one ready to join the top echelon of NFL quarterbacks. Unfortunately, several factors prevented him from making the leap. One of the biggest ones was the subpar protection he got. While his quick delivery helped mask the offensive line's shortcomings, he was pressured at a concerning rate when he needed time to throw.

Injuries to his receivers and the offensive line also made Lawrence put the game on his shoulders, with less-than-ideal results at times. Looking for a spark, he routinely took chances instead of taking the safer play or throwing it to the sidelines.

The dearth of support also led Lawrence to become reckless with the football. On the bright side, the Jaguars realized they needed to help Steezy Trev if they wanted to bounce back, so they made a series of upgrades in free agency.

For starters, the Jags signed Mitch Morse to replace incumbent Luke Fortner at center. Fortner was seen as the weakest link in the trenches, so Morse should be an upgrade. Jacksonville also brought back Ezra Cleveland and Brandon Scherff to ensure there's consistency in the trenches. If that wasn't enough, the front office also inked Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay.

Davis gives Lawrence a deep threat that will open things up on offense. On the other hand, Duvernay will mostly play special teams but should also get plenty of snaps at receiver. Add the return of Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, two of the team's top two weapons, and Lawrence should have no trouble getting back in the conversation of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Here are more stories from Black & Teal: