Trevor Lawrence: New Jaguars’ coaching staff all ‘on the same page’

At this point, it’s not even a poorly-kept secret that the Jacksonville Jaguars were largely a mess both on-and-off from the field under former head coach Urban Meyer, who was fired in December less than one full year after he first earned the job. 

Of all the players on the roster, perhaps none endured a more frustrating season than then-rookie quarterback and 2021 first-overall draft choice Trevor Lawrence. As noted by ESPN stats, Lawrence ended last campaign 30th among eligible quarterbacks with a 71.9 passer rating, 28th with a 33.5 total QBR, and with a paltry 12 touchdown passes to go along with 17 interceptions. 

Lawrence declared in April he and new head coach Doug Pederson were “on the same page” early into their relationship, and Pederson said in May he was somewhat “hitting the reset button” regarding the 22-year-old’s development. On Monday, Lawrence spoke with reporters about his experiences with Pederson’s staff. 

“It’s been really smooth. I think everybody is on the same page, which is good,” Lawrence explained, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “I think the way they built the staff is, everyone has a similar — not everyone’s going to think the same. Obviously, you need that diversity to be able to put you in the best position to win. But everyone’s on the same page and you can tell it’s very seamless.

“And also, when people talk, it’s not everyone trying to say their opinion. People pick and choose. I think they do a good job of communicating beforehand, so when we get into meetings, they kind of know exactly what they’re all thinking and they’re all on the same page.”

While Lawrence has little, if anything, to gain in taking shots at Meyer at this point, the second-year pro has seemingly provided small glimpses of what life was like inside the Jacksonville locker room and on practice fields last year via his comments. 

The harsh truth of the matter, though, is the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league that will expel even a highly-rated prospect such as Lawrence sooner than later if he doesn’t start playing as advertised beginning in September.