One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of their Week 2 preseason matchup against the New Orleans Saints was how Trevor Lawrence would look.
The former Clemson Tiger has made strides the past few months, but it's still uncertain if he can once again be part of the top-10 quarterback conversation. Based on how he played against New Orleans, he's trending in the right direction.
Trevor Lawrence came through for the Jaguars in Week 2 of the preseason
Trevor Lawrence and the first-team offense didn't get off to a strong start to the game, losing a fumble on the ninth play of the opening drive. That said, it wasn't the fifth-year quarterback's fault, as he was stepped in. Either way, he wasted no time once he got the ball back and led an eight-play, 55-yard drive that ended on a touchdown pass to wide receiver Parker Washington.
That was all the playing time Lawrence would get, as Nick Mullens took over the following drive. He went 8-of-10 for 76 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. The lost fumble notwithstanding, No. 16 had a solid outing.
Following the 17-17 tie, head coach Liam Coen met with the local media and said that he was pleased with Lawrence's performance, pointing out that he took yet another step in the right direction.
"Yeah, I thought this game was another step in the right direction, where you saw him clicking through progressions again and getting to his third and fourth reads a few times," Coen said when asked what he saw in Lawrence (1:55 mark). "I thought we protected him well up front, which allows a quarterback to do those things, and also when you run the ball effectively. It also takes pressure off the quarterback."
Coen continued, "So I was pleased with his outing tonight. Obviously, the one fumble's a tough one because you just got to eat that. It's a great learning moment for him, especially in the red area, where you already have points. So when you have two turnovers in the red zone, when you already have points, those are tough ones when you end up tying a game."
Although Lawrence had a few rough outings in training camp, he generally showed progress. Similarly, he looked sharp in the preseason opener. Granted, the Knoxville, Tennessee native only played one series, but he still came through.
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Trevor Lawrence' stock is surging after the Jaguars game vs. the Saints
Following the game, NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo of Check the Mic praised Trevor Lawrence, noting that he looks more comfortable going through his reads.
It’s only a couple preseason series, but Trevor Lawrence looks like he’s playing faster and getting to second/third reads more efficiently
— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) August 17, 2025
Not long ago, Palazzolo argued that Lawrence has the talent to undergo an Andrew Luck-like career arc in Year 5. Based on his latest tweet, it looks like he believes No. 16 can put it off.
For his part, Lawrence sounded like he was pleased with how he and the first-team offense fared, stating that they looked sharper than last week.
"I thought it was cleaner in a lot of ways, operation, penalties, a lot less of those to start out in the first couple drives," Lawrence told the press corps. "So I think from that standpoint, it was a lot better, moved the ball. We were good on third downs, converted some of those third downs, which is good to see. Protection was really good, obviously. Besides that one fumble, the whole sequence was not good, but besides that one play, to be honest, it was a pretty clean day."
There's still one preseason game left. Given that it's the finale, Lawrence may or may not play. But whether he suits up or not, his outing against the Saints proves that he's ready to take the league by storm in 2025.
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