How can Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence join NFL’s elite QBs in Year 3?

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

Trevor Lawrence established himself as a franchise quarterback last season. The exact time he did so depends on the beholder.

There was his national arrival in January, overcoming a 27-0 deficit and four-interception first half to lead an epic 31-30 victory in last season’s wild-card round against the Chargers, the third-largest comeback in NFL playoff victory. There was his signature win against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Week 12, leading a game-winning drive with two minutes remaining. And in Week 15, there were his season-high four touchdowns in an OT thriller against the Cowboys.

What all those moments — and others tied to Lawrence’s Year 2 ascension — have in common is that they occurred in the second half of the season.

Therein lies what’s next for him.

“I think going into his Year 3 … the way he played the back half of the season is how he needs to start this year,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said on “The Rich Eisen Show” last week. “It’s putting all of that together.”

After beginning to live up to the outsized expectations surrounding him coming out of Clemson as the top pick of 2021, leading Jacksonville to its first division title since 2017 and coming a touchdown short of the AFC Championship Game last season, Lawrence’s next step is to play at an elite level consistently. Producing a résumé of greatness over time — that’s how he’ll close the gap with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.

Lawrence was one of the NFL’s best-performing quarterbacks down the stretch last season, completing more than 70% of his passes for 2,273 yards and 15 touchdowns with just two interceptions over the last nine weeks of 2022.

But he was inconsistent the first eight games of the year. During that stretch, there were games in which he dissected defenses like a surgeon (Week 2 vs. Colts, Week 3 vs. Chargers) and others when poor decision-making and turnovers doomed the Jaguars (Week 4 vs. Eagles, Week 5 vs. Texans, Week 8 vs. Broncos in London). He’d move the ball efficiently between the 20s only to falter in the red zone where his play mattered most. He completed just 64% of his throws from Weeks 1-8, when he had a passer rating of 75 or worse four times, and had six picks with his 10 touchdowns.

The foundation is set for Lawrence to carry over his strong finish from 2022 to 2023.

With the same playcaller (Pederson), offensive coordinator (Press Taylor) and quarterbacks coach (Mike McCoy), Lawrence has coaching continuity between seasons for the first time as a pro. Calvin Ridley, a proven No. 1 receiver, is joining the unit. Nine offensive starters are returning. The offense is staying the same, save a few wrinkles. The continuity is allowing Lawrence, and others in the offense, to discuss the details of play concepts and the entire scheme at a deeper level.

“He can put the team on his back.”

Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes react to Jaguars coach Doug Pederson saying of Trevor Lawrence: “He can put the team on his back.”

Lawrence will naturally assume a greater leadership role in Year 3, but he also knows that fine-tuning the little details of his game is required to take the next step.

“Had a lot of situations where [I] made a lot of crazy plays, did a lot of things that we needed to win games, but how do I just — play in and play out — be more consistent?” Lawrence said Monday. “Take the checkdown on certain plays. When do I trust my instincts? Just being smart about all that. I think I do that well at times. Sometimes, I can be a little bit more consistent. Just make the easy plays, just make the routine plays every time. That’s where I’m trying to improve.”

Pederson believes Lawrence is chasing Mahomes, Burrow and Allen in the quarterback hierarchy.

“I think he’s close to putting himself with that group,” Pederson said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “He’s very capable of putting himself with that group. Those guys obviously have a couple years of experience over him, but he’s headed in that right direction. … That’s the next step, getting himself in that conversation. He started doing that at the end of last season. Those are the things as we head into training camp this July and August, that’s the growth. That’s the leadership we’ve seen. It just now has to continue to manifest itself each and every day.

“We feel and I feel that he’s the guy he showed at the end of the year,” Pederson added. “He can put the team on his back.”

Winning at a high level, consistently, will stamp Lawrence’s place among the elite. The Jaguars have high expectations for the first time in years, and he must help Jacksonville realize them.

The new standard is becoming a perennial AFC contender.

“I can’t let that be a one-and-done season,” Pederson said during OTAs. “We have to continue to build on that. We talked a lot about that last year. … It’s something that can’t just be lip service. We have to go out and prepare and work and put the time in to be where we want to be.”

Lawrence is at the forefront.

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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