How Doug Pederson and Press Taylor Have Seen Trevor Lawrence Grow in Training Camp

The second-year quarterback has made big strides in his first training camp under Doug Pederson and Press Taylor's offense, but where has Taylor seen him make the biggest stride?

Trevor Lawrence had some clear goals for himself at the start of training camp earlier this summer. 

There were specific goals, such as cutting down on turnovers, improving on third-down, learning Doug Pederson's system and more, but there were even more important goals. Namely, for Lawrence to prove to himself, the Jaguars and the rest of the NFL why he was drafted No. 1 overall. 

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Saturday, Lawrence showed tangible evidence to suggest he is well on his way to doing so, highlighting his night with one of the preseason's best throws, a frozen rope over the head of a defender and into the hands of Marvin Jones.

Trevor Lawrence threading the needle!

pic.twitter.com/aQtkm7lcV0

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) August 21, 2022

“Yeah, that was a great throw. That’s the ability that Trevor (QB Trevor Lawrence) has. You don’t go first overall if you don’t have some special skillset, and he obviously has that," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said on Wednesday. "You’ve seen that for a long time from him, and that’s what we’re excited to see and continue to help him grow with that, too.”

Lawrence's numbers this preseason haven't popped in a big way, with him leading the starting offense to four field goals and one touchdown in three quarters of play. He has completed 20-of-33 passes (60%) for 228 yards (6.9 yards per attempt) for one touchdown, being sacked one time and holding a quarterback rating of 91.5. 

But so far, Lawrence has done several things in camp and the preseason that have stood out compared to a year ago. He has cut down on the dangerous, turnover-worthy throws. He has helped the offense extend drives and avoid quick three-and-outs. He has, by every definition thus far, improved.

“I really like where I’m at. As far as offense goes, I feel really comfortable. I’m feeling more and more confident each day and feel really good with where I’m at with all the receivers, tight ends, running backs, protection," Lawrence said on Wednesday. 

"Our communication, especially me and Luke (Fortner) is getting really, really good, and we’re on the same page more and more, so I have a lot of confidence in that group up front, and I love where we’re at. I’ve said it before, it’s about getting better every week, so we’ll see where we’re at in a few weeks.”

And that is where the Jaguars have seen Lawrence grow. Lawrence's rookie season was managed by Urban Meyer, Darrell Bevell and Brian Schottenheimer, but his rookie year quickly went awry as a result of the roster and coaching issues the Jaguars suffered through. 

With Pederson and Taylor at his side, Lawrence has been able to hit a reset button of sorts. He has been able to take along all of the lessons and scars from a year ago, while also starting over in his growth as a developing quarterback.

"It was more just mastering the system then developing chemistry and timing with all the new receivers. Really a lot of guys were new that had not played with him last year, guys that we’ll be expecting to (play), even Travis Etienne, who they obviously played together in college, but Travis wasn’t available to last year," Taylor said. 

"That, then just handling everything. Breaking the huddle on time, understanding the play clock, understanding situations we’re putting him in practice, operating at the line of scrimmage, killing plays, changing plays, whatever that may be. That’s something you continue to see with him every single day, but that’s kind of a never-ending process as a quarterback. You want to continue to master everything you can with the game”

Asked this week if Lawrence has had the training camp the Jaguars wanted and hoped to see, Pederson's answer was automatic. The coach will almost always back up their quarterback, but you could feel the genuine excitement from Pederson when talking about how far Lawrence has come, but how far he still has to go as well. 

In short, Lawrence has improved, and the Jaguars think he will only get better. 

"One thing I like about Trevor, where he’s at, too, he’s still learning, still growing," Pederson said. 

"Hardest thing, he’s had three head coaches, three coordinators, three position coaches, three years, so there’s been a lot of turnovers and change, and he’s really handled it extremely well, very mature, and it’s just still a work in progress. We go slow. He understands, even when we show him on tape what he’s doing or what he’s not doing, he makes the corrections and moves on. I’m encouraged by where he’s at right now.”

Neither Lawrence or the Jaguars would proclaim Lawrence has arrived or is where he is hoping to one day be. While the Jaguars have seen growth, they have also seen enough to reveal to them that Lawrence's ceiling is not only reachable, but is also still the goal the Jaguars are trying to reach as they coach Lawrence up.

"It’s not an overnight fix or process. It takes some time. He’s handled it well. He grows every day," Pederson said. 

"That’s the encouraging part. I know sometimes people don’t want to hear that it takes time, but it does. It was two years in Philly before things really took off for us, so I’m not saying it’s going to be two years but saying that we’re heading in the right direction.”