The Jacksonville Jaguars watched quarterback Trevor Lawrence blossom right in front of their eyes during the 2022 season.
After a shaky start to his second year in the NFL, the former No. 1 overall pick threw 15 touchdowns and two interceptions in the last nine games of the regular season to lead Jacksonville to the postseason. Now expectations are sky high for the 2023 season and Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor says Lawrence looks primed to take another step forward.
“It’s his offense,” Taylor said Thursday in a press conference. “The empowerment he feels. Yesterday, day one, we have a play on, they play a different coverage, he checks it to a different play. He would not have done that at this point last year.
“His communication with the skill group around him has been fantastic. … We want everybody to know, this is how I’m going to react, this is what’s going to happen. That comes from communication on the practice field, in the meeting room. That’s where Trevor really has taken a huge leap from this time last year.”
It helps too that a year ago, Lawrence was working with a completely reshaped offense featuring several new players. While the team is working Calvin Ridley as well as a few rookies into the mix this season, the Jaguars’ third-year quarterback is also surrounded by familiar faces in Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Evan Engram, and others.
Still just 23, there’s no doubt that the Jaguars are Lawrence’s team to lead for the foreseeable future.
