After winning the AFC South last season, the Jaguars have plenty of ambitions for 2023.
One reason the club should be in a position to compete is quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s improvement entering his third season.
Doug Pederson has consistently praised Lawrence throughout the offseason and that did not change on Monday when the head coach was asked about the quarterback’s growth.
“The biggest thing that I’ve seen with Trevor, now going on two years, from where we had him a year ago in the offseason to today, just his confidence is incredible. It’s off the charts,” Pederson said in his Monday press conference. “He’s put the past behind him, he’s focused on the future, and really embraced this opportunity with this football team. The confidence level with him is extremely high, as it should be.”
Pederson added that the conversations Lawrence can have now about the offense with the coaching staff demonstrate his understanding, maturity, and confidence.
“It’s fun to be around guys like that and young quarterbacks like that, again, as we’ve said, he’s a sponge,” Pederson said. “He wants to learn. He wants to get better. Obviously, he’s not where he wants to be or where we want him to be because we can always get better and improve. I think his overall leadership ability has really been the bright spot for him heading into training camp this year.”
When it comes to that leadership, Pederson noted that Lawrence is speaking out more — not only with the coaches when it comes to scheme, but also with his teammates.
“Great quarterbacks that I’ve either played with or we’ve watched in the NFL have all had that ability to make others better and really rise and bring the talent around him up. He’s one of those guys,” Pederson said. “He’s not demanding or pounding his fists on the table, nothing like that. Just conversations you see with guys and how he’s willing to learn, he doesn’t have all the answers, but at the same time, they’re working through things.
“That’s the leadership part that I’m encouraged with and the dialogue that he has. It just keeps getting stronger each week.”
