When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Trevor Lawrence first overall in 2021, they thought they were getting a quarterback who could take him to the promised land. Fast forward to 2026, and the jury is still out on the former Clemson Tiger.
There's no doubt that Lawrence has shown he can play at an absurdly high level, but he's been unable to do it on a consistent basis throughout his career. That's one big reason you won't see No. 16 often in most top-10 rankings. Then again, Lawrence made substantial strides under head coach Liam Coen in 2025, and there's a reason to believe his success will carry over into next season.
Coen certainly believes Lawrence can be even better in 2026 if he unlocks one crucial part of his game.
Liam Coen believes Trevor Lawrence needs to be himself
Liam Coen had a conversation with Rich Eisen of NFL Media. He said Trevor Lawrence can take his game to the next level by "being himself," noting that he needs to avoid doing too much and use his legs if he needs to.
"I think just being him, like being the best version of himself. I mean, when you try to sometimes do too much, or you've been in multiple systems, and now even in Year 2 of our system, you may look to do too many different things," Coen told Eisen (2:28 mark). "And when Trevor keeps it simple, goes through a read, and then 'Hey, man, he doesn't like it.' He has the opportunity in athleticism to use his legs as a weapon.
Coen continued, "It's something that we benefited greatly from last season, especially in the red zone, and just continuing to urge him to be himself, to go be the quarterback that you are while using your arm as a weapon. But don't forget about using your legs, and that's such a huge advantage. I know our defensive staff hates preparing for a quarterback that can extend plays with his legs and be able to get out of the pocket and make plays. So just encouraging him to continue to be him."
"I thought we saw a really great version of him towards the back end of the year as he got more comfortable. And we've got some playmakers that he can get the ball to in space, and we protect him. Good things can happen."
Under Coen, Lawrence had a career year, completing 60.9 percent of his throws for 4,007 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. On top of that, he scored nine rushing touchdowns for a total of 39 and was even a finalist for MVP honors.
The Jaguars are setting up Trevor Lawrence for success in 2026
One big reason Lawrence hasn't been able to play at a high level year in and year out is that he hasn't always had adequate coaching throughout his career. Urban Meyer derailed his rookie campaign. Although Steezy Trev showed progress under Doug Pederson, he stopped improving once Pederson chose not to be actively involved in his development. The good news is that Liam Coen is quickly bucking the trend.
Even though Lawrence got off to a slow start in 2025, he quickly began to improve once he got a hold of Coen's scheme, the most complex he had to learn in his career. He's now entering his second year in the same system. When you factor in that the Knoxville, Tennessee native will have what's arguably the best supporting cast of his career, the sky is the limit in 2026.
The Jaguars made the Wild Card Round of the playoffs last year. If Trevor Lawrence can keep making strides and reaching his potential, they should have no trouble getting over the hump next season.
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