Jaguars Unlock Next Level Of Lawrence's Game By Making Him Mobile
At 6-6, Trevor Lawrence can eat up field. One gallop from Lawrence matches three of someone chasing him and given open grass, he becomes infinitely more athletic than one would think for a quarterback who is billed as a pure pocket passer. Still, through the Jacksonville Jaguars three preseason games, the rookie was kept largely in the pocket.
“We are being very cautious about that for a lot of reasons,” Head Coach Urban Meyer explained at the time.
“You know there is a tendency that I would like to do some stuff with him, but I just zip it usually. I can’t see a direct run called — you know not many people really do that in the NFL especially with the number one pick overall, but his legs are going to be part of the game and that is naturally on scrambles and read plays.
“He is fast and big and a very courageous runner, but we are going to be very cautious.”
And cautious the Jags were, keeping Lawrence stoic and immobile and firmly in shotgun or drop back mode. Not wanting to potentially hurt their franchise quarterback, in week one Lawrence had one rush attempt for negative two yards. He had no zone reads, no scrambles and no designed runs, according to Pro Football Focus.
Lawrence didn’t lobby for more runs though, instead simply trusting offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
"Coach Bev, Coach Schotty, our whole staff has been coaching for a long time in NFL. I mean there’s guys like [Ravens quarterback] Lamar Jackson that can go out there and run the zone read 10 or 12 times a game and be successful, but I mean I’m not really that type of guy. I’m not lobbying to try to get more of that, but also that is something that I’ve had some success with that we have practiced. Definitely that’s something that we have the ability to do, but no I’m not really lobbying for that.”
While Lawrence didn’t have to lobby, there was still a noticeable difference when he did get out of the pocket. In week two, against the Denver Broncos, two scrambles for 21 yards helped pick up two first downs. While there were no designed runs, the scrambles gave Lawrence a little more confidence that even in this professional league, he could lean back on what made him comfortable.
“I think just in general using my legs and extending plays and not just sitting the pocket, that’s a part of my game that I think helps me, helps the team and can keep plays alive. That’s something that I do well, so continuing to do that.
“It’s something I’m always going to work on, but that’s usually a pretty natural part of my game, so I’m not too concerned. I think the more comfortable I get, that’ll start to show.”
He was right. In the week four last second loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Lawrence had the Jaguars in position for their first win of the season before a defensive collapse. The No. 1 overall pick had the Jags there thanks in large part to his legs. According to PFF, he had the most designed runs of the season, with six zone read plays for 23 yards and two scrambles for 13 yards. He finished with four first downs and a touchdown.
It was more than just the runs downfield though. Lawrence also dropped back the fewest amount of times thus far this season, only doing so 28 times. Using more bootlegs and moving to buy time, Lawrence finished with his best completion percentage of the season, 70.8% overall.
And while the quarterback assured local media a couple of weeks ago that his speed was nothing special—“I think I’m faster than I look for sure, but I’m not going to blow anyone’s socks off with my speed. I can definitely move when I need to,” he said at the time—he found new ways to use said speed in space.
On one naked bootleg, Lawrence ran right and threw on the run downfield, 50 yards on air, to Laviska Shenault for a 52-yard reception. ESPN’s Next Gen Stats clocked Lawrence at 14.5 miles per hour on the play, the fastest a quarterback has been running when completing a pass of 40 plus air yards over the last five seasons.
“He used his legs when necessary. You think [about] the first couple of games, that wasn’t existent,” pointed out Meyer on Monday. “He scrambled to the right, threw the ball down the field. He got a couple first downs with his legs. He got down when he should’ve gotten down. He scored a touchdown. He’s playing ‘Trevor.’ He’s playing like Trevor’s skill set. [It’s] fantastic and the team sees it, you see it at practice. [He’s a] marked, very marked improved player right now.”
While the Jaguars didn’t get the win, it was arguably Lawrence’s best game to date; a by-product of playing to the style most suited to him. And it’s a step forward in this ongoing process to rebuild a team and a franchise. With the addition of Trevor Lawrence’s mobility, the Jacksonville Jaguars may have just unlocked the next component needed to find success.
