Post-Super Bowl AFC South quarterback ranking: Where does Trevor Lawrence land?

2. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Surprisingly, Trevor Lawrence has become somewhat of a polarizing figure across the league and among Jaguars fans. You will be hard-pressed to find someone who believes the fourth-year quarterback is a bust but several talking heads believe he's vastly overrated. Similarly, there are fans who don't think he's the long-term answer in Jacksonville, and the Jags should start looking for his potential replacement.

While some of the criticism is valid, Lawrence did enough in 2022 to earn a bit of good grace. Sure, he regressed last year, and his 12 fumbles are a legitimate cause for concern. However, he routinely gave the Jags a fighting chance. But except for a couple games (the one against the San Francisco 49ers comes to mind), he often made enough plays to put Jacksonville in a position to succeed. Heck, many of his interceptions were the result of drops or his receivers not being on the same wavelength as him.

To make matters worse, Lawrence was pressured at one of the worst rates in the league. And the only reason he wasn't sacked more was that his ability to get rid of the ball helped him mask the offensive line's deficiencies.

As a matter of fact, Lawrence dealt with a myriad of injuries in the second half of the season because of the poor protection he got. This doesn't exempt him from mistakes but his struggles should be put in context.

The bottom line is that the team's brass need to make upgrades to the offensive trenches if they want Lawrence to play like he did when he led them to the playoffs and the AFC South title in 2022. If they do, No. 16 could once again join the top 5 quarterbacks in the NFL.