The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to make strides after undergoing an overhaul in the offseason. Just how much better they'll get remains to be seen, but some analysts projected them to win around seven games in 2025, while others see them as a dark horse playoff team.
For the Jags to make a playoff run and challenge the Houston Texans for the AFC South crown, many things will have to go their way. Conversely, there are a handful of things that could hamper their ability to steer the ship in the right direction in 2025. In particular, Jacksonville wants to avoid these three nightmare scenarios in training camp.
Trevor Lawrence suffers a setback in his recovery from shoulder surgery
One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jaguars in 2025 is whether Trevor Lawrence can live up to his draft billing. The first overall pick in 2021 got a monster extension last year despite the fact that he has been inconsistent throughout his career.
Injuries have certainly played a role in Lawrence's inability to fulfill his potential. He's currently recovering from an AC sprain and the subsequent surgery he underwent to repair him. For that reason, his health has taken center stage this offseason.
Back at minicamp, No. 16 became the talk of the town because he was wearing a sleeve. This raised concerns about his recovery. He was quick to shut down any chatter about a potential setback, but that probably won't stop talking heads from speculating about his health ahead of the 2025 season.
On the off chance that Lawrence isn't 100 percent for Week 1, the Jaguars' odds of getting off to a strong start will decrease considerably. Similarly, the last thing Jacksonville surely wants is to see Nick Mullens see significant playing time.
This is a long-winded way to say that the former Clemson Tiger needs to be at full strength if the Jaguars want to make noise in 2025. How he performs in training camp will provide a clearer picture of how he's coming along.
Travis Hunter struggles to make the transition to the NFL
Travis Hunter wants to play two ways full-time in the NFL and is trending in the right direction to make it happen. He began his onboarding with the Jaguars at receiver but began to get reps on defense at mandatory minicamp. So far, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner hasn't run into any speed bumps, but like any rookie, he could experience growing pains.
And that's the thing, as talented as Hunter is, his development could stall in training camp. Jacksonville has a plan to bring him along, but plans change all the way, and there's a risk his learning curve could be steeper than expected.
If that's the case, Hunter may get off to a slow start to his rookie season, which isn't ideal for a player drafted second overall in the draft.
Nobody in the Jaguars safety room separates himself from the rest
Aside from signing Eric Murray in free agency, the Jaguars didn't make any significant additions at safety because they felt comfortable with their current group. That may or may not turn out to be a bad decision.
Sure, the team's brass drafted Caleb Ransaw and Rayuan Lane. Both could turn out to be impact players, but it may not be reasonable to expect both to contribute as rookies. Jacksonville is bullish about Ransaw's playmaking skills, but he's making the switch from cornerback to safety and may need a bit of time to pull off the transition.
In case Ransaw isn't ready, the Jags may turn to Darnell Savage, Antonio Johnson, or Andrew Wingard. The trio has starting experience, but the three of them were underwhelming last year.
It's also worth noting that, as dependable as Murray has been throughout his career, he's only logged three interceptions in nine NFL seasons. If he's unremarkable, and the rest of the team's options at safety fail to make an impression in training camp, the team's decision not to make further upgrades at the position will be under scrutiny.
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