May 26, 2022

The Jaguars can't be any worse than they were a season ago. The Urban Meyer experiment was a disaster, Travis Etienne didn't play a single snap, D.J. Chark got hurt early in the season, and suddenly Trevor Lawrence found himself in an awful environment for a rookie quarterback. But there's a new regime in town, led by head coach Doug Pederson, who made magic happen in Philadelphia with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles just a few short years ago. The offense surrounding Lawrence looks a lot different now than it did a year ago. They replaced Chark with Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram, while also bolstering the offensive line by adding All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff. Last season, the Jaguars played with little pace, averaging just 60.5 plays per game, the fourth-least in the league. Under Pederson, the Eagles averaged 66.7 plays per game between 2016 and 2020. That number would have been good for the fifth-most in the league last season. The up-tempo style of play should help Lawrence get into a better rhythm this season. That rhythm didn't exist last season, and it showed up in his subpar numbers. Lawrence averaged just 12.7 fantasy points per game, fewer than spot starters Mike White, Geno Smith, Tyrod Taylor, and Trevor Siemian. But there's hope for the former number one overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Wentz was also not very good his rookie season in Philadelphia, throwing for just 236.4 yards per game with a 1.1 touchdown to interception ratio. Lawrence was even worse, but we can chalk that up to the dysfunction that existed last season in Jacksonville. And much like Wentz, Lawrence has sneaky wheels for a big quarterback, rushing 4.3 times per game for a total of 334 yards and two scores as a rookie. If Wentz could go from averaging 13.3 fantasy points per game as a rookie to 21.8 fantasy points per game in his second year, so can Trevor Lawrence. You won't find a quarterback with as much upside going as late as he does in drafts this upcoming season.--Adam Koffler