There’s been a lot written this week about Trevor Lawrence’s footwork.
The Jacksonville Jaguars $275 million quarterback has said that he’s never exactly liked his drop-back shuffle, especially in the NFL where precise timing and vision are literally everything.
But let’s be honest. It’s offseason team workouts (OTAs) week. It lasts only three days, and the players aren’t even in pads yet. Of course someone is going to talk about footwork.
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger cut right through that on The Best Football Show Friday morning after visiting the Jacksonville OTAs this week.
“Trevor Lawrence has got to play better,” Baldinger said. “I mean, I think he’s won, like, three of his last (15) starts. That’s a horrible record and he’s got to play better.”
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Baldinger believes Lawrence will play better. Not just because of his footwork. Not only because the Jaguars added Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and former Washington Commanders speedster Dyami Brown to the receiving corps.
“These things that (the Jaguars) are doing around (Lawrence) will maybe allow him to play better,” Baldinger said.
Baldinger believes the key to fixing an offense that ranked 26th (out of 32 teams) in the NFL last year is restoring some oomph to the league’s 26th-ranked rushing attack. The Jags’ lack of confidence in their running game, Baldinger said, probably dates back to the final game of the 2023 season.
Four Crucial Downs
The Jags were playing a must-win game at the 5-11 Tennessee Titans. A victory would not only send Jacksonville to the playoffs, but would give them the division title over the Houston Texans.
Jacksonville trailed 28-20 but had a first-and-goal at the Titans’ one-yard line late in the fourth quarter. They wound up turning it over on downs and losing the game.
“That sort of defines a lot of the problems Jacksonville has had since then,” Baldinger said. “They haven’t been able to run the ball effectively. They haven’t been able to run the ball when they had to run it, when they needed to to win big games.”
When Jacksonville lured Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen away to be their head coach, they took a huge step toward solving that problem.
Coen molded a Tampa Bay rushing attack that had been last in the NFL (3.4 yards per carry) into the fourth-best a year later. The Buccaneers averaged 5.3 yards per carry and 149.2 per game in 2024.
Coen helped lure versatile Tampa Bay center Robert Hainsley to be the anchor of Jacksonville’s offensive line for 2025.
“Start with the basics, the very basics that every coach believes is important,” Baldinger said. “They’re gonna be able to run the football. Will Trevor Lawrence be a part of it? Yes, he’ll be a part of it.”
A stout rushing attack should open the aerial routes for the Jags’ fleet-footed posse of receivers. Assuming Lawrence’s footwork is on point, the 2025 Jags will have plenty of offensive bite to go with their growl.
“I like what Jacksonville is doing,” Baldinger said. “For the first time in a long time, they’ve got the structure to build this thing properly.”