The Jacksonville Jaguars are holding Organized Team Activities, and there are already some interesting stories coming out. For instance, you'll see coverage of who's stepped up thus far, while you'll also hear about potential red flags.
Some beat writers who cover the Jaguars more often than not tend to be a bit more optimistic about the team, so it's always good to check out the national publications and see what they think every once in a while. That said, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon put together a list of every starting quarterback's biggest obstacles heading into 2026 and what they could do to overcome them.
When he got to Trevor Lawrence, Gagnon cited "question marks along the line and in the backfield" as the major uh-ohs that could impede Lawrence's chances to help Jax make some noise in the playoffs this year. While going into more detail, the NFL writer explained:
"Lawrence finally put together a dominant stretch worthy of a former No. 1 overall pick in the second half of the 2025 season, but his line still ranked in the bottom 10 at Pro Football Focus, and now he's lost top back Travis Etienne Jr, Gagnon said."
Full disclosure: I'm actually fascinated with Gagnon's article because it provides quick blurbs that don't always discuss teams' rosters. For example, he flat-out said that expectations were going to be Josh Allen's biggest challenge this year, as the Buffalo Bills' "front office and fan base have clearly run out of patience, and Allen is now 30. In his ninth season, he is expected to be an MVP frontrunner with a good-not-amazing supporting cast while finally leading the Bills to a Super Bowl in a brand-new stadium. It is—quite frankly—a lot. "
Looking at things from a tangible and intangible, or practical and theoretical, perspective opens up the discussion to every possible problem that could derail an NFL team's season. However, I don't know if that's necessarily good news for the Jaguars, as this means their problem is 1) personnel-related and 2) pretty much set in stone unless somebody steps up.
Trevor Lawrence doesn't have THAT much to worry about . . . right?
Well, that depends on who you ask. Here at Black and Teal, we've been critical of Walker Little and other underperforming members of the Jaguars' offensive line. The franchise hasn't had a Pro Bowler from the offensive front since the turn of the century. As for Travis Etienne, his career started off with a freak injury, and he was never able to establish himself as a dominant, top-five back in the NFL, or maybe even the AFC.
To get a second contract as a running back in this era, you have to rack up individual accolades and be a major factor in your team's overall success. While I disagree with James Gladstone's decision-making a lot, I couldn't get too mad at his decision to let Etienne walk away.
So, you really have to look at the mirror and ponder, "Am I a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty type of football fan?" The more optimistic ones among us will say that Nate Boerkircher's arrival is a sign that the Jags' offensive front will be way more dedicated to establishing momentum and plowing through their opponents with it. Likewise, Emmanuel Pregnon was a steal and a half, and I'd be shocked if he isn't starting by the end of the regular season.
On the flip side, the cynics within the fanbase will probably highlight the front office's inability to add a home run hitter to the running back room. Chris Rodriguez has some history with Liam Coen, but he hasn't gained 600 yards from scrimmage in a season yet. In fact, 2025 was his best campaign by far with 500 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
To break the tie, we can go to another blurb from Gagnon. In this one, he says Cam Ward's biggest test will be "a lack of support" from the Tennessee Titans. When making his case, the writer explains:
"Drafting Carnell Tate and signing Wan'Dale Robinson doesn't fix it entirely. A line that has not lived up to expectations remains a major question mark, and Ward will also be navigating big changes to that unit (in other words, a lack of continuity for a young quarterback) as he gets acclimated to a new offensive system in 2026. "
Luckily, Lawrence won't be dealing with that last problem in Jax, but the offensive line dilemma is pretty much a 1:1 facsimile on both sides. Add in the fact that Travis Hunter keeps having to tell us which side(s) of the ball he'll be playing on this year, and we have ourselves a pretty unexpected offensive conundrum in Duval County.
I'm not as worried about the Jaguars as I would be about the Titans. However, I can see that it ain't all sunshine and rainbows either. If all of the front office's investment in run blocking goes bust, Lawrence will have to drop back a lot more times than Liam Coen and his staff are probably planning for. In the past, Jacksonville's franchise player struggled when asked to move Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning-sized mountains.
So, I definitely think Gagnon's observation would be a massive hindrance if his take turns out to be correct.
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