Jaguars' Doug Pederson opens up about Trevor Lawrence's development heading into year 3

The AFC is stocked with elite quarterbacks. Think Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, even Aaron Rodgers. But Trevor Lawrence may be joining the club.

Lawrence already caught a whiff of pro success when he led the Jaguars, the worst team in 2021, to a wildcard playoff victory in 2022. And he did so by orchestrating a wild comeback at home in a win over the Chargers. The Jags found themselves down by 27 points before they flipped the game script. Thanks to Lawrence’s arm, the Jaguars won it, 31-30.

Sure, Jacksonville was no match for the Chiefs the following week. In a quirky stat, it was the first time Lawrence ever lost a game played on a Saturday. But his performance against the Chargers only reenforced to Trevor Lawrence, the top pick of the 2021 Draft, that he could be as good as the other quarterbacks.

“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,” Pederson told reporters earlier this week. It’s off the charts. 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 likens Trevor Lawrence to a sponge

Pederson took over when the Jags fired Urban Meyer. So it’s obvious Lawrence adapted quickly to Perderson’s ways.

“I think about some of the young quarterbacks I’ve had and going into Year 2 with us,” he said. “That’s what you’ve seen. You’ve seen that confidence level increase, the understanding of the offense, and the dialogue that we have between Trevor and myself or Trevor and [offensive coordinator Press Taylor], Trevor and (quarterbacks coach) Mike McCoy, just the openness. That comes with maturity, and that comes with the confidence he has. Not only his ability, but also with understanding where he is within the system.

“It’s fun to be around guys like that and young quarterbacks like that, again, as we’ve said, he’s a sponge. 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.”

Pederson used Trevor Lawrence for the first coupld of series against the Cowboys last Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. On his final series, Lawrence combined with Christian Kirk for a touchdown. So Lawrence does appear like he’s still feeling the momentum from the way his second year ended.

Next, the Jaguars travel to Detroit for a Sunday road game against the Lions.