The Jacksonville Jaguars will need Trevor Lawrence to hit his stride in 2025 if they want to have a realistic chance to challenge the Houston Texans for the AFC South title. He's coming off a somewhat underwhelming season, and to ensure he's able to bounce back, the team's brass has surrounded him with lots of talent. As a matter of fact, the upgrades the Jags made to the roster these past few months make the fifth-year quarterback an obvious pick for a recent list.
Dalton Wasserman PFF drew up a list of rebound candidates for all 32 teams and picked Lawrence for Jacksonville, pointing out that his improved supporting cast should help him post better numbers next season.
"Inaccuracy, injuries and coaching instability derailed Trevor Lawrence's 2024 season. He finished with a 73.8 passing grade and a career-worst 3.9% turnover-worthy play rate while missing seven of Jacksonville's final eight games," Wasserman wrote. "Since then, the Jaguars have overhauled their leadership structure, signed multiple veteran offensive linemen, and assembled what could be one of the league's most dynamic receiving duos in Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter."
Wasserman continued, "If Lawrence returns to full health, he's well-positioned for a strong bounce-back campaign in 2025."
Something that hasn't been discussed nearly enough, but Wasserman briefly touched on, was that Lawrence and his teammates didn't get adequate coaching last year. Doug Pederson's offense grew stale, and he hardly ever put any of his players in a position to succeed last year.
Granted, good players overcome bad coaching, but the Jags have leaned so heavily on Lawrence the past few years that when he couldn't make up for the team's shortcomings, they simply couldn't win games. With Pederson now gone and Liam Coen at the helm, the former Clemson Tiger and everyone else will get a fresh start.
Of course, the Jags know that coaching alone can only do so much, so general manager James Gladstone has wasted no time adding reinforcements to the roster in free agency and the draft. The offensive line should now give Lawrence plenty of time to throw. Similarly, Travis Hunter joins a wide receiver corps that already included Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown.
These upgrades have, in turn, led Wasserman and Max Chadwick to call Lawrence's improved arsenal the Jaguars' biggest strength for the 2025 season.
The Jaguars need Trevor Lawrence to elevate his game in 2025
It's worth noting that the Jacksonville Jaguars gave Trevor Lawrence a $275 million contract last year, so they're not giving him a better supporting cast out of kindness. They want a return on their investment, which piles extra pressure on him. Working in his favor is that he's shown that he can elevate his team when he gets a bit of help.
Back in 2022, Lawrence played at a top-10 level because he got a decent supporting cast. If most of the additions the Jags made in the offseason pan out, there's no reason why he shouldn't once again lead them to the playoffs. Granted, it won't be a walk in the park, especially when you take into account that Jacksonville has a tough slate of opponents next season.
On top of that, the Knoxville, Tennessee native will need to prove that he can stay healthy, something he failed to do the last two years. If he does, though, the Jaguars' chances of making noise next season will increase considerably.
The bottom line is that expectations are through the roof for Lawrence, even though Jacksonville is undergoing a rebuild. But if he delivers, it will be extremely difficult to question his viability as a top quarterback in the NFL.
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