Ex-NFL MVP dissects Trevor Lawrence's biggest flaws in Year 4 with Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't off to a great start to the 2024 NFL season, Their lack of identity on offense or their inability to protect Trevor Lawrence are among the biggest reasons.

Speaking of Lawrence, he's been far from perfect, which is disappointing when you take into account that he signed a monster contract extension earlier this year. While he's far from the team's biggest issue, he certainly can play better and a former league MVP took a look at the areas where he can improve.

Former NFL quarterback and league MVP Matt Ryan made an appearance on CBS Sports and said that there's plenty of blame to go around for Jacksonville's 0-2 start to 2024. He then focused on Lawrence, pointing out that his biggest issues right now are his inconsistency and lack of accuracy in short and intermediate passes.

"They've had some injuries at the wide receiver position, offensive line. Their protection hasn't been great. But when you're talking about Trevor Lawrence, to me, his struggles have been in the intermediate passing game," Ryan told hosts Mike Renner and Kyl Long." It's inconsistency in that middle section of the field, where it's from eight to about 20 yards down the field. To me, it's where he's the most inconsistent with his accuracy. Some are really good, his highs are really high. The good throws are really good, but it's about bringing that floor up."

Ryan continued, "His ceiling is up here, but his floor is down here, with his accuracy in the intermediate passing game. You look at just yesterday. Buzzing back through their tape yesterday, there's five or six different throws in that window from eight to 20 yards down the field. A couple are just not close. And then the other thing is even in his short passing game, the quick game, he throws it so hard all the time."

"And so, there's art to being a passer, and giving guys catchable balls, whether it's on those crossing routes that are short, that are really difficult for wide receivers and tight ends to catch, because it's hard to track where that ball is coming above or through kind of those windows in the offensive and defensive line," Ryan said.

"A little bit more touch in that short passing game, and then he's got to improve his accuracy because those have been the areas where he has struggled, but that's really the areas where you make your living as a passer in this league. He's been good down the field. He had a beautiful deep ball yesterday that was gorgeous, and that part's fine, but those only come up two or three times a game. You're going to have 15 to 18 pass attempts in that eight to 20-yard window, and you got to make people pay in that area."

The one deep throw Ryan is referring to? It was a 66-yard reception to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. that put the Jaguars within scoring distance. Just a couple of plays later, running back Travis Etienne muscled his way into the end zone.

In the same game though, there's a play in the end zone where Lawrence could've found Thomas in stride for an easy touchdown but instead left the pocket and took time to throw even though he didn't need to.

In case you're wondering what kind of credentials Ryan possesses to talk about NFL quarterbacks? He was league MVP in 2016 and took the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl. Moreover, he made the Pro Bowl four times during a career that lasted 15 years. Here's Matty Ice's full exchange with Renner and Long, who is also a former NFL player:

It's too early to dismiss Trevor Lawrence as the long-term answer at QB for the Jaguars

All things considered, Ryan's assessment of Lawrence is accurate. He discussed the positives and the negatives without putting an emphasis on one area or another. Moreover, he's right that the offensive line hasn't helped him one bit, and that's on the front office, not him or the coaching staff.

Offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, on the other hand, also deserves criticism for not getting the most out of his current personnel. While he doesn't have top-notch talent at his disposal, he does have the pieces to put together a dependable unit. Unfortunately, the Jags currently lack discipline and communication up front. That falls on the coaching staff.

Going back to Lawrence, he's going to be under the spotlight because he signed a five-year contract worth $275 million in the offseason. Simply, the criticism comes with the territory. They're paying you like a franchise quarterback but you cannot elevate your team? Of course, you're going to be under scrutiny. Having said that, Steezy Trev isn't the only one to blame for the 0-2 start.

As noted before, the offensive line has played a role, and so have general manager Trent Baalke and Phil Rauscher, the former for failing to make enough upgrades in the offseason, and the latter for not focusing on fundamentals and technique. Already, the Jags have given up seven sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 2024. At that pace, Lawrence may not last the whole season, which would make the investment in him moot.

The truth is that there are many issues surrounding the Jaguars. Until they work as a team and fix them all, they will continue to lose games.

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