Two-way star Travis Hunter has been the talk of the town since the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him first overall. However, he may not be the most important player to their success in 2025. That, without a doubt, would be Trevor Lawrence, who's entering what's basically a make-or-break season. Already, all eyes are on the fifth-year quarterback ahead of training camp.
You can ask 10 different people what they think of Lawrence, and you will come out with 10 different opinions, ranging from a top-10 caliber quarterback to a potential bust in the making. The truth may lie in between both spectrums, as he's not nearly as bad as he's been portrayed lately, but he's most certainly failed to live up to expectations.
In his defense, Lawrence didn't come up with the generational talent moniker. That would be the work of the media, which hyped him up after taking Clemson to the College Championship Game. With that out of the way, the question becomes whether he was deserving of the label.
The answer is yes. But even when you put that aside, the fact that the Knoxville, Tennessee native was drafted first overall definitely raised expectations. And that takes us to the Jaguars. How much have they done to elevate their quarterback? Not much.
Urban Meyer was Lawrence's head coach as a rookie. But even if Jacksonville had hired someone competent, the front office didn't give him a solid supporting cast. The offensive line was dreadful, and the wide receiver corps wasn't much better aside from Marvin Jones Jr. Things did get a bit better in 2022, though. The Jaguars went on a shopping spree in free agency and acquired Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Evan Engram, and Brandon Scheff that year.
Not surprisingly, Lawrence showed notable improvement in his sophomore campaign and even led the Jags to their first division title since 2017 and a trip to the playoffs. By the end of 2022, he had joined the top-10 conversation. However, the past two years haven't been kind to him.
Expected to solidify his place as one of the top passers in the NFL in 2023, Lawrence got off to a strong start but slowed down once injuries began to pile up. Although he only ended up sitting out one bout, his performance was severely hampered, and Jacksonville failed to qualify for the postseason. Things didn't get much better in 2024.
Lawrence didn't play particularly well early in 2024. His supporting cast was inadequate, the playcalling was subpar, but he also deserves blame for the team's underwhelming performance. His mechanics and decision-making, in particular, were deficient. Couple that with an AC sprain that hindered his play and eventually cut his season short, and he certainly failed to live up to expectations.
Even though Lawrence tried to play through the shoulder injury, he and the organization made the right call when they shut him down for the year. No. 16 is currently recovering from the procedure and is trending toward being 100 percent for the opener.
Trevor Lawrence's health and performance will get the spotlight during Jaguars training camp
And it's no hyperbole to say that Lawrence's health will take center stage in training camp and the preseason. Every mistake he makes will be magnified. Every pass he underthrows, he'll be scrutinized. It comes with the territory and is somewhat understandable.
Lawrence is playing the position that has the biggest impact on the outcome of the football game, and he's one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. Of course, certain things are expected from him.
Sure, Lawrence has proven that he can play at a high level and has shown that he can elevate his teammates, proven by the fact that Evan Engram, Zay Jones, and Christian Kirk all posted career numbers catching passes from him. The issue is that he hasn't done on a consistent basis.
The good news is that Lawrence is making strides in his recovery and has arguably the best supporting cast of his career. On top of that, having Liam Coen as his head coach will surely lift his performance. Simply put, the Jaguars lived up to the end of their bargain and put him in a position to succeed.
It's time Lawrence delivers, and having a strong training camp would certainly help.
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