Here’s what the critics are saying about Trevor Lawrence after 6 games in the NFL
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn’t exactly been a Day 1 gamechanger, as he’s had to go through the learning curve that all rookie passers do. He’s had some issues with accuracy and decision-making at times, but he continues to play sharper and more confident week after week.
He had arguably his best game as a pro in the team’s win over the Miami Dolphins last week, as he was 25-of-41 for 319 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. That was enough to draw a solid “B+” grade from Sporting News’ Joe Rivera.
Lawrence continues to grow as an NFL quarterback, with Sunday’s win over the Dolphins his most polished performance yet as a passer.
The wunderkind threw an absolute dime to Marvin Jones Jr. for a touchdown (who made a nice catch on the back end) and looked sharp and accurate when he was on the move and flushed out of the pocket.
While there were more than a handful of drops — and some throws that could have (and should have) been picked off — Lawrence is showing more and more control over the Jaguars offense while Jacksonville banks their first W of the season, and of the Lawrence era.
Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller agreed that Lawrence is improving, but he’s not totally sold. He ranked New England’s Mac Jones and Chicago’s Justin Fields ahead of Lawrence in his rookie quarterback rankings.
Now is as good a time as any to admit that Trevor Lawrence has struggled with accuracy so far this season. His ball placement has consistently been off by a hair, and it’s hurting Jacksonville’s passing attack.
And it’s not as if there’s a whole lot to like about the passing concepts the Jaguars insist on running. There are minimal instances where I look and think, “they did a good job of scheming that guy open there.”
So the problems are two-fold. Receivers aren’t getting much separation, and Lawrence has been consistently inconsistent with his ball placement. That is not a recipe for success.
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Lawrence is seeing dissonant results in nearly every aspect of his play. Yet, that might say more about his environment than it does about his actual physical and mental abilities. After all, he has a first-time NFL head coach with … issues … and a combination of Darrell Bevell and Brian Schottenheimer as his coordinators.
Miller did, however, offer praise for Lawrence’s dime of a touchdown pass to Marvin Jones Jr. in the back corner of the end zone. Those are the kind of throws Lawrence has made with regularity this year, and they’re why the Jags can look past the mistakes that stem from the rookie’s gunslinging mentality.
However, that mentality has gotten Lawrence into trouble this season, and it’s certainly playing a role in his grading as the worst of the six rookie quarterbacks that have seen significant playing time so far, per Pro Football Focus.
Lawrence this week looked a lot more like the Lawrence we always expected to see during his rookie season. It wasn’t perfect, but there was far more good than bad, which hasn’t been the case for much of his first few weeks in the league. He still made a turnover-worthy play, but it was a reasonable pass attempt left too far behind and to the inside of its intended receiver that gave the defender a chance to make a play on it — not the poor misreads or forced throws he has been guilty of in previous games. His high-end throws remain spectacular. Miami’s defense was depleted, but this now marks two good games from Lawrence in three weeks.
Lawrence’s play has been up and down at times, but the Jags haven’t given him a lot to work with, and he’s making plays in spite of it. He certainly needs to be sharper moving forward, but his play in the last few games has been encouraging.
