Breaking: Trevor Lawrence makes shocking suggestion about contract extension
•Should the Jaguars reduce their expectations for Trevor Lawrence? A trustworthy NFL source believes they should.
Trevor Lawrence is the Jacksonville Jaguars’ franchise quarterback. While he is coming off a disappointing season, he will play a critical role in the Jaguars’ attempt to recapture the AFC South. Analyst Greg Cosell argues that the Jaguars should limit expectations for the potential X-Factor in the division competition.
Cosell appeared on Ross Tucker’s program and claimed that Lawrence is a solid quarterback but not outstanding.
“A couple of weeks ago, I did a deep dive into Trevor Lawrence, and he struggled a bit last year,” Cosell stated. “I believe we need to lower expectations for Lawrence. Lawrence captured the national championship as a freshman. Then he earned the title of generational quarterback, but everything I say is based on video analysis. He’s not really that talented.”
Cosell went on to discuss what he noticed on film, pointing out that there are a few things holding Lawrence back.
“He has a good arm, but he is not a power arm person. His deep balls occasionally lose energy on the back end. When he has to move in the pocket and readjust his platform, his arm strength suffers. He can occasionally drive the ball with velocity, but he’s mostly a touch-and-pace thrower. And I believe he demonstrated a tendency last year. Again, he needs to focus on playing a little faster from the pocket when he senses and feels pressure.”
Cosell went on, “He just accelerated his process, and he needs to get better at it. So I’m not sure if his total talent is on par with the best guys. He requires a fairly full offense, a multi-dimensional plan, and a strong defense. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the system.”
Lawrence is coming off a good-not-great season but much more was expected from him. After playing like a top-10 quarterback to end 2022, he kind of took a step back last year. His touchdown totals went down while his number of takeaways went up. Here’s Cosell’s full breakdown in case you want to give it a look. It starts at the 13:35 mark.
One key reason behind Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence’s regression
To be clear, Cosell is one of the greatest in the business at breaking down films. He’s not the type of analyst who will throw up a reflexive perspective just to engage, and his assessment of Lawrence is supported by hours of grinding footage. As a result, his opinion should not be completely disregarded. Nonetheless, context is required, and Cosell overlooked an important factor in his evaluation.
Last year, Lawrence experienced worrying levels of pressure. While his rapid release helped to hide the offensive line’s flaws, he suffered in dropbacks lasting 2.5 to 4.0 seconds. It’s fair to conclude that his basics suffer as a result of the substandard protection he received.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a quarterback who can thrive under such strain. Lawrence is a generational talent, but even the best passers can only do so much when they don’t have the best protection. It’s also worth noting that the former Clemson Tiger played hurt for the majority of the second part of the season, which hampered his overall performance.
But as underwhelming as Lawrence was in 2023, he routinely gave the Jacksonville Jaguars a fighting chance. With a much better-supporting cast and a clean bill of health, he will have a realistic chance to reclaim his spot as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Similarly, he’ll be a prime opportunity to disregard the game-manager label he’s recently gotten.
