What Cris Collinsworth Thinks Pederson Can Do for Lawrence in Year 2

As a former quarterback and experienced coach, is Pederson the guy to accelerate Lawrence’s development?

The Urban Meyer era in Jacksonville was a complete disaster, lacking direction and a team identity that resulted in some players' developments getting stunted. Trevor Lawrence was one of those players affected.

The 2021 first-overall pick was consistently the victim of poor game-planning and play-calling, finishing the season to the tune of 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while completing under 60% of his passes with a quarterback rating of 71.9.

Those aren’t numbers you want to see out of your franchise quarterback, but with the addition of experienced coach Doug Pederson, there is plenty of room to grow for the young signal-caller. In an appearance on Ari Meirov’s NFL Show, Cris Collinsworth made it clear that he expects Lawrence to make a sophomore leap.

“I think that you have to expect a jump,” Collinsworth said. “Typically we see a jump regardless in second-year quarterbacks, I mean just think about what these quarterbacks go through in their rookie year, especially the high draft picks. 

"So they have to go to all these workouts, have to get ready for the combine, they’re under pressure constantly to perform, they’re in front of the media nonstop, getting picked apart by every critic, every PFF, every group out there and by the time they are drafted in whatever it is, the end of April, they’ve got to be exhausted.”

Performance standards for higher draft picks are astronomically larger than that of a mid to late first-rounder, and handling the pressure that comes with it is just as important as being drafted into the right situation to develop. 

The Jaguars didn’t have that for Lawrence last season but with the addition of Doug Pederson, they made it clear that Lawrence’s development is the top priority heading into year two. Pederson’s experience playing the quarterback position in the league and his successful tenures as the head coach of the Philidelphia Eagles and offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs under Andy Reid make him an ideal fit to work alongside Trevor Lawrence.

“Doug is one of the coolest guys in the world,” Collinsworth said. “He’s just a laid-back, comfortable kind of guy much like what Trevor had at Clemson, that just somebody that’s going to be very relatable. I think it’s a match made in heaven, to be honest with you, it’s a great choice.

A head coach with these qualities should help ease the pressure off of Trevor Lawrence heading into his sophomore campaign. All eyes are on how Pederson and Lawrence mesh. If Pederson’s credentials and Collinsworth’s praise are any indications, this will be a huge boost for the franchise quarterback and his development.