Jaguars State of the Roster: Quarterback
The complexion of the NFL is set to change at 4 p.m. on March 13. Once the clock hits the top of the hour, the new league year will begin and teams can officially sign free agents.
Until then, we are going to take a look at the Jaguars' roster position by position.
First up: quarterback.
Under Contract
Trevor Lawrence
Age: 24.
Experience: 3 seasons/52 appearances/52 starts
2023 production: 65.6% completion for 4,016 yards (7.1 yards per attempt) and 21 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. 70 rushes for 339 yards and four touchdowns with 12 fumbles (seven lost).
2023 wasn't a year Trevor Lawrence will likely want to remember a year from now. Lawrence still had flashes, finishing No. 8 in success rate. But he threw fewer touchdowns, for fewer yards, and more interceptions. He had a fantastic end to his 2022 season, but his 2023 season was up-and-down.
Now, there is context needed for this. The Jaguars' maligned offensive line finished the year ranked near the bottom of the league in most metrics, which meant a few things. For one, Lawrence became more mistake-prone while extending plays and attempting to create on his own. Secondly, the Jaguars turned to a quick-hitting passing game in many instances as a way to protect Lawrence, but this limited the offense's ceiling.
Most importantly, though, the line's issues led to the Jaguars ranking No. 30 in rushing EPA/Play and No. 31 in rushing success rate. This made the Jaguars' one dimensional and hampered the entire operation.
There were also the injuries. Lawrence suffered a knee sprain in Week 6, then an ankle sprain in Week 13, then a concussion in Week 15, and then a throwing shoulder sprain in Week 16. He missed his first career start and simply didn't look close to healthy over the season's final month.
This all is to say that 2023 will likely end up remembered as a wasted season for Lawrence. He had his own issues, especially with self-inflicted turnovers down the stretch and putting himself in harm's way at times, but there was simply a lot going wrong around him, too.
The biggest question with Lawrence this offseason revolves around whether the Jaguars will look to extend him. With Josh Allen projected to take up a good chunk of cap, and with Calvin Ridley potentially on the books, the Jaguars may wait a year to pay Lawrence, especially considering how 2023 went.
C.J. Beathard
Age: 30.
Experience: 6 seasons/34 appearances/13 games started.
2023 production: 75.5% completion for 349 yards (6.6 yards per attempt) and 1 touchdown with 0 interceptions. 8 rushes for 35 yards.
C.J. Beathard proved his worth to the Jaguars in 2023. After many in the fan-base clamored for Nathan Rourke to be appointed the Jaguars' backup quarterback, Beathard proved to be the perfect backup on multiple occasions.
Beathard's first chance to shine came in Week 13 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. After Lawrence went down with an ankle sprain, Beathard completed 9-of-10 passes for 63 yards and led the Jaguars on a game-tying field goal drive. Beathard nearly won the game with a deep shot to Calvin Ridley in overtime, too, before a holding penalty wiped it out.
Beathard then stepped in as a starter for the Jaguars in Week 17 and played completely mistake-free football vs. the Carolina Panthers for the Jaguars' only win over the final six weeks. A lot of this had to do with just how bad the Panthers were, but Beathard proved he can steady the ship when forced into action.
Free Agents
Matt Barkley
Age: 33.
Experience: 11 seasons/20 appearances/6 starts.
2023 production: N/A.
Matt Barkley was signed over the final few weeks of the season as Lawrence's injuries stacked up, but this was mostly a veteran insurance option in place of practice squad quarterback E.J. Perry. He is not expected to re-sign.
