Trevor Lawrence is much more than the obvious answer in a Jacksonville Jaguars word-association game. One former NFL quarterback believes Lawrence can reach another conversation, but needs to consistently tap into the weapons surrounding him on the Jaguars’ starter.
“The Jags were 6-2,” said Chase Daniel on Tuesday’s Scoop City Podcast. “They were 6-2 at one point last season and everyone was singing Trevor Lawrence’s praises.”
That’s when the Jaguars lost six of their final nine, including a season-ending loss at Tennessee that cost them a playoff spot. Lawrence, battling assorted injuries in the second half, missed just one game but threw eight of his 12 interceptions after the team opened 6-2.
In Jacksonville’s exhibition finale at Atlanta, Lawrence looked as good as an NFL starter can look in a preseason game, certainly worthy of the big-money extension he signed in the offseason. Or is he?
“I’ve been split on him at times,” Daniel continued. “I think he makes some boneheaded mistakes and then he plays like he did against Atlanta in the preseason and I think, ‘This guy’s amazing. He’s worth $55 million.’ So I think that’s the issue right now in Jacksonville.”
With tight end Evan Engram, wide receivers Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis, and running back Travis Etienne, the Jaguars are poised for prominence.
“I think you’re seeing Trevor Lawrence get healthy,” Daniel said, “and I think he’s got the chip off the shoulder that certain quarterbacks have that they need to get to that next contract or that next level. Now, he can just sit back and play some ball. I was impressed with him.”
Co-host Dianna Russini said Lawrence has to prove those interceptions are in his rear-view mirror.
“When you talk to defensive coordinators around the league,” she said, “about Trevor Lawrence, who is he, what is he, he’ll be described as an athletic guy, great size, good arm. Not a great arm, just a good arm, but Doug Pederson calls the game to mitigate a lot of the issues. And he’s going to continue to do that.
Russini and Daniel also interviewed Mike Sando from the Athletic. In Sando’s annual quarterback-tiers survey of personnel directors and coaches, Lawrence fell seven spots — the largest drop among starting quarterbacks this year – from ninth in 2023 to 16th this season. Sando explained his theory on Lawrence’s plummet.
“You have somebody who’s acknowledged to be really talented but for whatever reason hasn’t had the team results that you think a top guy should have.
“With all these quarterbacks, if enough time goes by when you don’t get over the hump, you come down a little bit. Is it fair to knock Lawrence down so much after a year when they were 8-3 and then the injuries piled up?”