Trevor Lawrence’s ascent, pass rush headline key questions for 2023 Jaguars

Doug Pederson on Lawrence: “You can put the team on his back.”Colin Cowherd: Why Jaguars will be AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2023

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

The 2022 Jaguars pulled off one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history.

They turned a 2-6 start into Jacksonville’s first division title since 2017. They pulled off the third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history to knock off the Chargers in the AFC wild-card round. They came within a touchdown of an AFC Championship Game appearance.

The expectations for the team are higher than they’ve been in years entering 2023.

Following the offseason program, here are the most pressing questions facing the Jags:

1. Can Trevor Lawrence build off a strong finish to 2022?

In a quarterback-driven league, Lawrence’s continued rise is the single largest domino for the Jaguars to maintain staying power in the AFC in 2023 and beyond.

The former No. 1 overall pick got hot at the end of last season, performing like one of the NFL’s best and most efficient quarterbacks over the last nine weeks — a span during which he completed more than 70% of his passes for 2,273 yards and 15 touchdowns with just two interceptions. The NFL world needs to see if that’s truly what he has become or if that was more of an outlier, because the first half of last season, his play was defined by inconsistency. Lawrence completed just 64% of his throws for 10 touchdowns with six picks in the first eight weeks of 2022.

The foundation is in place for him to prove he’s truly on the ascent. He has the same playcaller (coach Doug Pederson) and offensive coordinator (Press Taylor). The Jaguars are also returning nine of 11 offensive starters, plus adding Ridley.

The continuity in personnel, coaching and scheme positions Lawrence to have a monster Year 3.

Doug Pederson on Lawrence: “You can put the team on his back.”

2. What is the pass rush going to look like?

This is the biggest question mark with Jacksonville ahead of training camp.

Despite posting the NFL’s third-highest pressure rate last season (32.9%), the Jaguars tied for 25th in sacks (35th). And on paper, it’s hard to say their pass rush will be at the level it was last year, let alone show improvement.

Reserve outside linebacker Arden Key left in free agency to sign with the Titans, while defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot — who tore his Achilles in Week 16 last season — remains an unrestricted free agent. They represented a significant chunk of the team’s pass-rush production.

That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Josh Allen and Travon Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, to become a productive tandem. Allen hasn’t reached double-digit sacks since his rookie year in 2019, while Walker — who’s never put up big sack numbers dating back to his time at Georgia — had just 3.5 sacks and an 8.9% pressure rate as a rookie last season.

Jaguars’ Josh Allen, Travon Walker facing pressure to elevate pass rush

There’s optimism within the organization that both can raise their game, though. Allen is entering a contract year. Walker now has a season under his belt playing on the edge after primarily lining up inside at Georgia.

There are still a few veteran pass rushers available in the free agency market, including ex-Jaguar Yannick Ngakoue, who had 9.5 sacks with the Colts last season. Smoot is an option to re-sign, too.

3. What will Calvin Ridley‘s impact look like?

On paper, Ridley — who’ll make his debut for the Jaguars this season after serving a year-long suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy — gives Jacksonville a proven No. 1 receiver who should take pressure off some of the other pass-catchers.

But how long will it take Ridley to regain his peak form?

Jaguars coaches and those who know Ridley have told FOX Sports that he’s in great shape ahead of his comeback season. That doesn’t mean it won’t take him a while to get back into game shape, though.

Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley reinstated, ‘rejuvenated’ and ‘chasing greatness’

The Jaguars were cautious about his workload during the offseason program because of his lengthy absence. He hasn’t played in a game since October 2021. His last 100-yard receiving game was in December 2020.

Ridley’s impact could be more gradual than instant.

Colin Cowherd: Why Jaguars will be AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2023

4. When will Evan Engram, Jaguars strike deal?

General manager Trent Baalke told reporters in April that he hoped to ink Engram, the team’s franchise-tagged tight end, to a long-term extension before training camp, so the race is on.

Engram, who had 73 receptions for 766 yards and four touchdowns with Jacksonville last season, has not signed his tag and did not participate in the offseason program.

It’s unclear where contract talks stand, but team observers have been led to believe both sides are motivated to get a deal done. Engram was a critical security blanket for Lawrence over the middle of the field in 2022, and the tight end enjoyed a career year. After the season, he got emotional when speaking to reporters about what Jacksonville had done for him after an up-and-down start to his career with the Giants.

Engram and the Jaguars have until July 17 to reach terms on a multi-year deal before he’d have to play out 2023 on the tag. A franchised player must sign his tag before the Tuesday following Week 10 to remain eligible to play the season.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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