PFF: Jaguar' Trevor Lawrence Has Thrown Lowest Rate of Checkdowns Over Last 2 Seasons

While the Jacksonville Jaguars may not have the most vertical-based offense in the NFL, one thing has become clear in the two years under Doug Pederson: Trevor Lawrence is going to find his shots.

Most of Lawrence's most impressive plays during the Pederson era have come when he has been able to test the limits of secondaries with his downfield arm strength and accuracy. This has been a stark contrast from Lawrence's rookie year, where a combination of scheme and lack of receiver and offensive line talent limited the No. 1 pick quarterback.

According to Pro Football Focus, Lawrence actually leads the NFL in one critical stat since the firing of disgraced head coach Urban Meyer. In the last two years, Lawrence has the lowest rate of checkdown passes of any quarterback in the NFL with at least 300 attempts. In that span, Lawrence has dropped back 1,282 times and has attempted 48 checkdowns at a 3.74% rate.

"In his rookie year, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence recorded the league’s highest checkdown rate at 11.3%. His approach has shifted dramatically ever since, as he has the lowest checkdown rate in the league over the last two seasons," PFF said.

"Lawrence has been much more willing to look downfield since his rookie campaign, resulting in a 7.56% decrease in his checkdown percentage. Over the last two seasons, only Josh Allen has attempted more deep passes."

With the additions of two-big play receivers in Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr., the chance for Lawrence to continue to place a focus on pushing the ball downfield certainly remains in 2024 and moving forward.

"Well yeah, that’s the idea when you select good players in the draft. You’re adding a skilled receiver, you’re adding depth, you’re adding a guy that has an element of speed that we haven’t had probably since Calvin [Ridley] last year," Pederson said after the Jaguars took Thomas in the first round. "Once we get him in here too, and really get our hands on him, get him into the playbook in a couple of weeks and really see how we can use him. I think it can only be a great asset for us on offense to not only open up the field, but I think open up some other elements of the offense.”

"Brian is a young man, I think he had 22 targets over 20-plus yards and scored 15 touchdowns on those. He’s an explosive athlete, he can help open up the field a little bit," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said. "He’s certainly a younger receiver for Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] to build around and our offense to build around. There were a lot of positives to the pick, a lot of time and energy went into it. I feel good about where we’re at.”