Jaguars know the formula to help Trevor Lawrence get back on track next season

There are many reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars collapsed late in 2023. One of the biggest ones was that Trevor Lawrence dealt with several injuries down the stretch. While it's true that he took some unnecessary hits while looking for a big play, head coach Doug Pederson is aware the Jags need to do a better job of protecting him next season.

Pederson touched on several topics when he met with the media at the NFL owner's meeting. One of them was that the coaching staff needs to look for ways to better protect their star quarterback.

"Nobody wants to get hurt and everybody's trying to make plays on the field," Pederson said. "We have to make sure that he's either throwing the ball away or protecting himself. Whatever he can do. The Indy one he was rolling out on a play that he got tackled from behind and hurt himself there. The head stuff, we can help them with that and throwing the ball away and different things. He can do it himself. But at the same time, we need, as a staff, to make sure that we're helping him do that."

The injury Pederson is referring to took place against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6. As he noted, Lawrence sprained his knee when he fell to the ground. He managed to play the following game but the injury limited his mobility a handful of weeks. Later in the season, Steezy Trev sprained his ankle, suffered a concussion, and hurt his shoulder.

All those injuries led the Jaguars to bolster the offensive front in the offseason. Besides re-signing Ezra Cleveland to provide stability at left tackle, the Jags brought in veteran Mitch Morse to bolster the center spot. On top of that, they restructured right guard Brandon Scherff's contract to make sure he stays in 2024.

How can the Jacksonville Jaguars help Trevor Lawrence in 2024?

Trevor Lawrence threw 14 interceptions in 16 games in 2023. He's also totaled 14 fumbles in 2021-2022. Some of his picks were the result of trying to do too much to help the Jaguars win. Moving forward, he needs to learn to take the checkdown or throw it away.

On the other hand, Lawrence does need to do a better job of holding onto the football. Some fumbles are inevitable, and it didn't help that the offensive line couldn't protect, but he most definitely has to cut down on the fumbles. Doug Pederson doesn't seem overly concerned about Lawrence throwing picks. However, he believes the coaching staff can help him take better care of the football.

"Interceptions are gonna happen, but it's a pocket stuff, right? It's the fumbling in the pocket, out of the pocket. That's the best part where we can help him, with the ball security stuff. It's hard for young players because they feel like they can make every play. And it's okay to throw the ball away. We just got to keep educating him in these situations, but you can coach it. But you are the guy that's touching the ball every snap, so we got to make smart decisions too," Pederson said.

Lawrence threw just eight interceptions in 2022, six of them in the eight games. If he can get back to that amount and cut his fumbles in half, the Jaguars' offense will be in great shape next season. Based on Pederson's comments, they know the things the fourth-year quarterback needs to work on and how to help him.

The bottom line is that Trevor Lawrence is coming off a disappointing season. However, he has previously shown that he can play at a high level. If he bounces back, the Jacksonville Jaguars should become a legitimate threat to win the AFC South in 2024.

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