Trevor Lawrence’s quarterback status was made apparent this week by Doug Pederson, and the Jaguars’ head coach was especially explicit about one aspect of the fourth-year veteran:
Above all, his availability and consequently his health are crucial.
“That’s the most crucial factor,” Pederson declared.
Entering his third season as head coach of the Jaguars, Pederson spoke with the media this past Monday at the AFC Coaches Breakfast at the 2024 NFL Annual Meeting at the Ritz Carlton Grand Lakes. He talked extensively about Lawrence.
He was optimistic about Lawrence’s growth and strategy, but he also underlined that he needs to stay away from extended injury runs like the one he had toward the end of the previous campaign.
The Jaguars’ season, which began 8-3 but ended with a loss in the last regular season game, was shaped in part by injuries and a difficult run towards the end.
Regarding Lawrence, Pederson stated, “We have to make sure he’s taking every snap every day out there at practice.” “If he does that, then more good things are going to happen.”
Lawrence experienced injuries late in the previous season, missing three of the Jaguars’ final six games. During that period, Lawrence sustained a high ankle sprain, a shoulder injury, and a concussion while playing. He only missed one game, a victory over Carolina in Week 17, but he only participated in full practice once in the final five weeks of the season.
In the final two months of the season, Lawrence threw seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions for the Jaguars, who finished 1-5 overall. Prior to then, they had won 13 of their 16 games, with Lawrence tossing 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
“At the quarterback position, when you miss a Wednesday practice, a Thursday practice, and maybe you kind of go through some individual work early and then you don’t take any team reps, that’s going to affect you on game day – it does,” Pederson stated.
Pederson, who described Lawrence’s late-season decline with the Jaguars as “disappointed” and “frustrated”. remarked that Lawrence “knows he has to play better.”
Similar to Lawrence, Pederson stated following the season that turnovers might be the area in which Lawrence has to improve the most. In three NFL seasons, Lawrence has thrown 39 interceptions in addition to having 33 career fumbles, of which 21 have been lost.
“It’s fixable,” Pederson stated. Interceptions will undoubtedly occur, but the pocket stuff is more important. The fumbling in and out of the pocket is what causes it. It’s the ball security stuff that we can assist him with. Young players find it difficult since they believe they can make every play. It’s acceptable to discard the ball. All we have to do in these circumstances is continue teaching him. It can be coached. Every time a snap is made, you are the guy touching the ball. We also need to make wise choices.”
This week, Pederson also noted that Lawrence is “light years” ahead of where he was mentally in 2022, when Pederson took over as head coach for the second season of Lawrence’s career. Pederson also expressed his admiration for Lawrence’s mindset and style of play.
“We’ve got to get better as a football player, but mentally he’s in a good place,” said Pederson. “He’s engaged in deep gaming. He has taken our squad for the last two years, and we now need to overcome that. It annoys him now. He finds that portion bothersome. It’s a good thing he gets bothered by football.
That’s where he needs to push us—through that wall and envelope. He is also motivated by how our season concluded.”
And according to Pederson, staying healthy during the season is essential to achieving this.
“Nobody wants to get hurt and everybody is trying to make plays on the field,” said Pederson. “All we need to do is ensure that he is doing what he can to protect himself or toss the ball away. By simply tossing the ball aside and doing other things, we can assist him with that.
“He can do it himself, but at the same time, we need as a staff to make sure we are helping him do that.”
Regarding if the Jaguars might have become “comfortable” at 8-3 in the previous season before dropping their final five games, Pederson said: “I think so. You can definitely settle in, in my opinion.
It’s possible to sort of buy into and take the buzz surrounding your football club seriously. That is the only thing that is not possible. Naturally, you have to be on the lookout for that, and I believe that as time goes on, our team will come to that realization.”
