Jaguars’ Lawrence, Shenault, Chark and Jones Get in Offseason Workout Together at Clemson

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is getting in some offseason work at his former home, the Clemson Tigers facility. But he also made sure to bring some of his new teammates along, including D.J. Chark and Marvin Jones Jr.

Trevor Lawrence and a handful of his wide receivers are doing their part to prepare for the 2021 Jacksonville Jaguars season. 

According to a video shared by Tyler Grisham, wide receiver coach for the Clemson Tigers, Lawrence and receivers are utilizing the quarterback’s former college facilities to get in work during the offseason. The Clemson grounds crew even repainted the field for them with NFL hash marks.

Pro Bowl receiver D.J. Chark shared on his Instagram that he was there with Lawrence, as did veteran receiver Marvin Jones Jr and second year receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. According to Grisham, the teammates are also hanging out together at the lake while in the area. Family members also appear to be on hand and watching from the practice field.

The Jaguars completed minicamp in mid-June and have been on their offseason break since. Training camp is set to begin July 27. In the meantime, players have been relaxing, traveling and getting in individual work as well.

Lawrence—the No. 1 overall pick in April’s 2021 NFL Draft—is being asked to save the downtrodden Jaguars franchise. All indications are he will be the starter come opening day on September 12 against AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans.

NFL and NFLPA guidelines for the offseason program related to COVID-19 concerns have limited what teams and athletes can do in their own team facilities this summer. So in order to accelerate the NFL learning curve, the Heisman finalist is finding pockets of time to work on timing and chemistry with his receivers. The quarterback and teammates were recently seen working out together at a high school in the Jacksonville area.

During OTA’s, Jones Jr. described his burgeoning relationship with Lawrence as, “Great. Obviously, it’s been a short time, but obviously the guy’s gifted. You can see it when he throws the ball. We’ve gotten some good work.”

Chark also spoke to the importance of developing that chemistry with Lawrence, explaining it was a work in progress but one that was coming along well, and how that in turn was spreading throughout the whole offense.

“I like it. It’s still building,” said Chark at the time. “We have a long way to go, but definitely can see the attention to detail that everyone on the team has, definitely on offense. We’re all speaking the same language. We know where we’re supposed to be when we’re supposed to be there. Everybody’s upping their game this year and the competition is great. The camaraderie, the teamwork is good. There’s a lot of support going on, and that’s credit to the staff as well.

“Then you have talented players, you have Trevor [Lawrence] who’s still learning, but the talent is definitely there. He doesn’t mind throwing it, doesn’t mind slinging it, which is something that’s going to help this offense for sure. We still have a way to go to get to where we want to be, but it’s not a bad start at all.”

Lawrence’s penchant for “signing it” as Chark described is what made him one of the most prolific college and NFL prospects in generations. He led the Tigers to a National Championship as a freshman, then had Clemson back in the playoffs the next two years as well.

Chark is already seeing some of Lawrence’s gamesmanship translate to the NFL, as he learns how to work around pro defenses.

“Every day is a step. One thing that I’ve learned during these OTAs is we have a very competitive team. The defense is not going to make it easy for us at all, so we have to ride that and take it. Any time that we do complete passes like [that], that’s a credit to the work we’ve been putting in or that [Trevor’s] been putting in. Once again, it’s just OTA’s right now, so by the time that first game gets here, it’s going to be way more of those type plays being made.”

The first game is still just under two months away, but preseason games will kick off in one month, on August 14. The season is approaching quickly and Trevor Lawrence and crew are working overtime to have the Jacksonville Jaguars ready for their new era.