As the Jacksonville Jaguars put the disappointing and chaotic 2021 season behind them, much will hinge on the improvement by Jags QB Trevor Lawrence. In a promising sign, Lawrence’s development this offseason is already drawing praise from the Jags new coaching staff.
It was no secret that the Urban Meyer era in Jacksonville was the worst season in Jaguars history. One the franchise want to quickly move on from. One sign of that is the Doug Pederson era has been welcomed with open arms and tears of joy now that football is the main focus in the building once more.
Well, maybe not tears of joy, but a levity permeates throughout the Jaguars organization with Pederson at the helm.
The Jags can quickly put the 2021 season behind them with a successful 2022 season. And to reach that success, Lawrence will have to take a step forward in his development.
Things are looking promising on that front coming off OTAs last month. Jags QB coach Mike McCoy praised Lawrence for embracing Pederson’s offensive and plans to build a winning culture in Jacksonville.
“I think he’s done an outstanding job of number one, learning the system and buying into the way that we want to run, and we want our quarterback to play in the system,” McCoy said about Lawrence to SI.com Jags beat reporter Josh Shipley.
“And, you know, not only the leadership part of it but the way, you know, from day to day on how we work, you know, in the way he’s bought in and really, each day kind of learned something new through each install, you know. We have a number of installs we’ve done, and he’s taking it one day at a time and tried to master the system.”
Lawrence’s improvement post-Meyer
Lawrence threw for 3641 yards, 12 touchdowns, completed 59.6% of his passes and had a lead-tying 17 interceptions in 2021. Not the season expected for the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick. Yet, despite all the ups and downs last season. With Meyer relieved of his coaching duties in Week 14, consistency and brilliance began to show in Lawrence’s game.
In the final four games without Meyer, Lawrence completed 64% of his passes and threw for 906 yards, three touchdowns and three picks. His best game came in Week 17 when the the Jags upset the Colts 26-11. Lawrence put up 223 yards passing, threw for two TDs, zero picks and posted a 71.88 completion percentage. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers. Instead, it shows how quickly Lawrence can improve when there’s an actual coaching staff supporting him and the offense.
Lawrence’s quick study ability caught the eye of McCoy as the team worked through OTAs.
“The last couple of days through the OTAs, you see some of the checks that he’s made the line of scrimmage,” McCoy said. “He’s making quicker decisions now.”
The improvement by Lawrence in OTAs won’t dominate headlines. OTAs are just one small step in the long journey that is an NFL season. Yet, it’s all a part of the process and the little things matter in building a winning culture.
